Warming Winter Fragrances by Harper's Bizarre Candles

Don't get me wrong, okay, I'm a complete candle freak 12 months of the year. As someone who lives with animals, scented candles are an eco-friendly way to counteract their various whiffs. However, I find them to be particularly comforting during the Winter months. One brand I have really come to love over the past year or so is Harper's Bizarre. Their candles are handmade from 100% soya wax, are eco friendly and come fully accredited by The Vegan Society as being cruelty-free and free from animal ingredients. Today I wanted to share with you a handful of their scents I've been particularly enjoying since the night have started creeping in...

Harper's Bizarre, based in Hull, is the baby of a lovely lady called Victoria, who I have now come to consider a friend. She makes each batch by hand and dreams up each original scent herself. Her quirky personality shines through in her products and the scents are truly unique compared to other candle brands (she recently came up with a scent named 'Chocolate puppies').  The candles come with a double wick for an even burn with an approximate burn time of 20hrs each. The fragrances are strong and carry wonderfully. Nothing worse than a scented candle you can only smell when your nose is in the tin. 

The fragrances I'm loving the most at the moment include the following...

Raspberry & Rose 

This is a year-round favourite if I'm honest, but I couldn't do a favourites round-up without including it. I love a fruit and floral combo. This candle is at its most gorgeous when burned in the kitchen.

Snuggley Blanket 

I find these kinds of scents to be the most comforting once the weather cools down and the nights get darker. Harper's version is particularly lovely and I always have it in the house. My favourite time to burn this one is at bedtime. 

Scary Mary

This is a new seasonal candle for Autumn/Winter 2015 and continues with the fruity/floral theme. I'm obsessed with it! Victoria has taken much inspiration from Halloween this year with other seasonal candles including 'Zombielicious' and 'Dirty Crow'. 

Pumpkin Apple Slice

Okay, this one isn't widely available as it was purely made as an experiment. However, it seriously smells like Autumn in a tin and I'm currently rallying a petition for it to make a more permanent comeback in 2016. Victoria sells her one-off experiments at events and vegan fayres so look out for her at any upcoming Christmas markets. You might find a hidden treasure! Check out her website for more info. 

Harper's Candles collections range from florals, to aromatics, to patisserie so there's something for every taste or mood. Of course, now that the holiday period is looming, the Christmas selections are also creeping onto the site and I can 100% vouch for those too. Jingle Bells and Let it Snow were particular favourites in my house last year. 

Harper's Bizarre candles are priced at £8 each, or 3 for £20. They make pretty gifts as well as a special treat to fight the winter blues. I don't know where I'd be without them! 

For more info or to place an order, visit

harperscandles.com

What scents do you find particularly comforting over the winter months? What are your favourite Harper's Bizarre fragrances? 

Unboxing The Vegan Kind TVK21

Another month, another glorious The Vegan Kind* box! As I said last month, I usually post these reviews over on my vegan-only blog, but I'm crushing so hard on this blog at the moment and I thought I'd bring the cruelty-free treats to you for a second month in a row. After all, you don't have to be vegan to scoff all these yummy treats. Their July box was another hit (seriously, these guys have yet to get it wrong and, in my experience, it's rare for a subscription box service to be this consistent). Here's what's in it...

Ananda Foods Chocolate Marshmallow Lolly

I love Ananda foods. I was a hardcore Wagon Wheel addict as a kid and their vegan version is my guilty pleasure. Ananda make the best marshmallows and this one is made with organic madagascan vanilla and encased in dark Belgian chocolate. The sprinkles are a cute touch, although I only took half a second to appreciate their beauty before I devoured it. As a Derbyshire girl, I love that Ananda are a Derbyshire-based company. I will eat their sweets in solidarity for many years to come. 

 Harper's Bizarre 'Washing Line' Soya Candle

You'll probably see Harper's Candles appear again very soon on this blog because I happen to hoard them. After their 'Jingle Bells' candle appeared in the December TVK box I've been ordering regularly from them so I was delighted to see them included again for summer. I go bonkers for 'clean laundry' fragrances and this one is spot on. These candles are handmade, eco-friendly and from sustainably sourced materials. 

 Ten Acre Crisps - The Day Sweet & Sour Became Friends

You might have noticed that the packet in this photo is... well... empty. They didn't last a second after being taken out of the box. Despite being a total crisp-fiend I must admit I've never tried a sweet and sour flavour before. Sweet chilli, maybe, but never sweet and sour so this was a new one on me. Ten Acre crisps are fantastic quality and are free from gluten, MSG and dairy. Their cheese and onion flavour is the only one I've found that don't contain milk powder so, for that, I will love them forever. 

Clearspring Snack Organic Roasted Seeds with Goji Berries

I'm gonna have to get creative with these because, in all honesty, I'm not a huge fan of seeds on their own. I tend to prefer them in baking or sprinkled on breakfast. I do, however, make a point of trying everything so I will definitely give these a whirl. Clearspring have some great products. I love their pureed fruit pouches. 

Maple - Pure Maple Water

This is a first for me. I'd never heard of maple water until I opened this box. Is it a thing? Anyway, I'm not entirely sold on this. It just tastes like regular water that's been slightly sweetened and maple syrup was never my sweetener of choice. That said, it's not bad... just nothing special in my opinion. I much prefer coconut water. I do, however, love that TVK give you the opportunity to try products that you've never come across before. Keeps things interesting. I'm always discovering new foods now that I'm vegan. It's a never-ending journey haha. 

So, that was this month's round-up. I never have any disappointments with The Vegan Kind. They always manage to combine old favourites, new discoveries and different flavours that I would never have thought of in a million years. Roll on August! As always, 10p from every TVK box sold this month has been donated to a featured charity and July's choice is Wing and a Prayer, who rehome rescued battery hens in Scotland. 

To subscribe to The Vegan Kind check out their website at
www.thevegankind.com

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What are your favourite cruelty-free snacks? Do you love TVK? What did you think of this month's box?