Scented Scandals with Filthy Velvet

"Meet me at the tennis courts by The Ramore" It wasn't long into our afternoon together that Karen, one half of Northern Ireland's newest candlemakers Filthy Velvet, laughed about the dodgy nature of our first meeting. It's not often that I'm asked to meet a stranger down a back street (albeit a very busy one near my favourite Portrush attraction) to then be led through stepped alleys and lanes back to their house! It's all a bit... Naughty. It's a good thing then that being a bit naughty is all par for the course for Karen who spends her days making and marketing her "Scandles".

With names such as Filthy Shades Of Grey, Sext Me, Me So Thorny and scents including Leather, Irish Black Stout & Apple Pie these Scandalous Candles have been giving giggles to everyone I've heard talking about them. "Oh I want VPL!" Said no-one ever before their Vanilla, Peach, Lavender creation came into being.

It's fairly brilliant.

We had a lovely afternoon discussing scents and textures Filthy Velvets are so incredibly creamy they could be mistaken for a stiff body butter if it wasn't for the wick, the Filthy Bits wax melts are even more so. The scents, made using imported essence oils, are also varied and intense, no two are the same and they range from floral to cakey to spicy to even musky! And then you have the Leather and the Stout as I've mentioned already. Definitely unique.

Karen's background in Interior Design and her sideline in Aromatherapy massage has clearly given her the right skills to create and partner Jeremy, the scientist, has developed the perfect formula to get an impressive 40 hour burn with minimal smoking and zero tunnelling.

Going through the 14 candles I was definitely drawn to the sweet scents which is not surprising at all. I was instantly drawn to VPL & Me So Thorny due to my obsession with Lavender & Rose. (One day I'll tell you of the days I used to call myself Lavender Rose Moon... Maybe) Needless to say they are very dear smells to me. Black Stout is a marmite candle. It splits opinion with a strong coffee smell and the dark almost chocolatey goodness you get from that well known Irish Stout brand we're not really allowed to mention...

The surprise hit however was Posh Tart. It's not just an Apple Pie, it's the best Apple Pie you've ever tasted. It's your granny, marks & spencer and your local bakery all rolled into one. Karen kindly let me leave with this one and it will be getting saved for best.

Not forgetting that this is a family affair I was also introduced to the Filthy Hound, the face of the brand to those familiar with the website, who is just the cutest wee mascot I've seen in a while. A hefty portion of our afternoon was spent getting cuddles & sneaky snapchats with the wee man. Well you do have treat celebrities special, don't you?

There are big plans for Filthy Velvets but for now you can purchase them at Studio Souk in Belfast, online directly from www.FilthyVelvet.com and at various fairs across NI (and soon mainland UK). These are one to watch having been featured on Ch4's Gogglebox and spotted by business talent scouts. If you're the kind of person that likes to say you got there first, now is your time!

No Halloween Costume Needed

It's become an accepted norm that once December 1st comes around the nations will don their snowflake print leggings and their novelty jumpers but so far the other seasons are lacking in their effort. Yes, Halloween is famous as being the single greatest costume day of the year but I need October to step and represent in the seasonal apparel game. Thankfully retailers have heard my inner goth cry and have come up with some seriously cute Halloween inspired items. For those who love a slogan tee you have every variation of saying that could possibly be made by rhyming witch with bitch and if you don't say every one of with Emma Roberts' attitude then you need to watch season 3 of American Horror Story immediately! Dressing with the seasons is clearly big money but it doesn't have to cost the world. Here are my choices of how to get into the Halloween spirit all under £30. Boohoo Starting with my favourites because I can! I actually bought the f

"Brand New Mint In Box"

Of the ways to describe the most premium of items in your makeup collection "Brand New Mint In Box" should not be one of them. One of my most awful habits is buying makeup and then not using it and to my even greater shame it is usually with my most expensive purchases. There is an Alan Carr joke about the extortionate price of a Spanish Onion, the punchline is "when do you save an Onion for best?" This is kind of how I feel about expensive makeup. It's so pretty and so precious that if I get up the courage to actually purchase it, I'm then usually too scared to use it. The pride and shame of this habit is these two items from Dior. The absolutely sublime Dior Skin Nude Tan highlighter which I purchased as a pre-release special edition from House Of Fraser TWO YEARS AGO has sat in box all tightly wrapped up only being shown the light to show off to my friends and family. Yes I do show off my prettiest of pretties to my friends and family...

Am I Disabled?

This article has been going through my head quite a lot recently and I’m feeling a little self indulgent so bear with me. As a kid I was on the special needs list throughout school and given a classroom assistant to help with my tracheostomy care. I was considered disabled enough to warrant disability benefits right up until I turned 18 when they decided that I wasn’t mentally incapacitated enough and too independent. A panel of bureaucrats sat across the table and said “we can see you are but there’s nothing we can do.” I didn’t tick the right boxes. I’ve worked since I was old enough and supported myself as much as I could and excluding a few short absences from work I have been successful in that. Until now. Now I can’t support myself. I struggle with self care. I’ve had to give up my home and I’ve lost my independence. I’m back to getting surgery’s every 6-8 weeks. They were usually just day cases but the last few have been fairly severe with extended stays (I get to have ano

TheSarahStory17 August 2015 at 19:49
Fab post! Can't wait to get a sniff at these candles!!!
Avril x17 August 2015 at 21:29
Oh this post is brilliant Bex - so funny! I too met Karen 'at the tennis courts' lol! Enjoy your Scandle - that was a great pick x
Alison Campbell21 August 2015 at 03:37
Such a fab post. I really like the idea of this brand doing something totally unique x

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