Tag Archives: Perfume

Summer Beauty Buys

Posted on July 6, 2015 | 1 comment

Summer Beauty Buys

I’ve been shopping! I think I’ve become more of a shopping addict in my old ages. By the time I retire I fully expect to have bankrupted myself. Most likely it’s all the blogs I read, the majority of this shop is blogger inspired. So here’s me, playing Keeping up with the Joneses and just adding to haul culture. You love it.

Summer Beauty Buys The Body Shop Virgin Mojito Body Sorbet

I think that The Body Shop launched their Body Sorbets last summer. They are described as a “light and frosty body moisturiser” – pretty perfect for the hot weather right? I was intrigued, but it was only when I smelt the Virgin Mojito one that I knew I had to grab it. It smells amazing – just like a mojito (mint and lime for non-drinkers), so incredibly summery. The consistency is awesome, it’s kinda thick, a bit like a gel but it sinks into the skin instantly and feels cooling for several minutes afterwards. Win.

Summer Beauty Buys Bumble and Bumble Sunday Shampoo

I’m a big fan of Bumble and Bumble and I knew that when I was having recent hair troubles they would have my back. The hard water down here in England is wrecking my hair and scalp and I now rely on the Sunday shampoo as a weekly deep cleanse to attempt to strip some of the mineral deposits out of my hair. It’s not completely resolved the problem, but it’s definitely a help. My hair now looks OK on Monday!

Summer Beauty Buys Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess

Oh yeah, the major blogger must have for summer time. I’ve actually been after this for a couple of years, but I especially love the bottle this year so I made sure to snap it up before it sells out. It’s a hot summer fragrance which is actually quite hard to define – a bit citrus, a splash coconut, lots of amber, maybe some flowers… really quite unique.

Summer Beauty Buys Rimmel Chin Up Buttercup

Next up, I bought the Rimmel ‘Chin Up, Buttercup’ nail polish as I was after a nice, bright yellow. I actually don’t like this, it looks like it has a bit of a greenish hue against my skintone. Ah well, can’t win ’em all.

Summer Beauty Buys Hawaiian Tropic SPF

Lastly, the most important item – some suncream. This is a handbag friendly size with a high SPF so perfect for on the go. It also smells unbelievably good with mango and coconut. I actually love it, it’s a joy to use! It is glittery though but I just don’t care, I just want it on me.

That was my little summer-ready haul. I also got the extremely unglamorous necessities of a handbag sized antiperspirant and a tonne of anti-histamines. #SummerProblems indeed.

What summer beauty essentials have you been buying recently? I’m not done shopping just yet!

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July Wishlist | Shark Week

Posted on July 1, 2015 | Leave a comment

July Wishlist Shark Week

It’s Shark Week! TBH every week is shark week to me, cos I freaking’ love sharks, but it’s the time of year when everyone else gets excited about them as the Discovery Channel starts their annual Shark Week programming this Sunday. So this month’s wishlist has a distinctly toothy feeling in honour of the top of the food chain.

Clockwise from top left:

Great White Shark Embroidery Art from Art for Animals (£6.50 with 10% donated to animal charities)
I’m having a great love affair with embroidery art at the moment – my Instagram is loaded with great artists and I am in awe of the craft. I love this simple stitch which I think captures the softer side of the Great White (still wouldn’t cuddle ’em though!)

Shark Bag by The Rodnik Band (£79)
Absolutely love this novelty bag with a cheeky grin! It looks like the perfect bag for a night out, holding just the essential.

Ocean Cologne by The Library of Fragrance (£15)
Well what else would a sharkie smell like?

Hammerhead Shark Necklace by Honoloulou’s (£21 with £3 donated to Sharks4Kids)
I adore these handmade (in Bristol) necklaces, available in multiple shark silhouettes and a range of patterns and colours. The charity supported by Honoloulou’s works with kids in Florida to educate them about sharks and all the great things they do for our planet to foster the next generate of shark advocates and help protect them in the future. Great cause!

July Wishlist Shark Week

Suede Fringed Shark Tooth Backpack from River Island (£45)
If the Rodnik bag is a bit OTT, this RI offering is far more subtle and hits the fringing trend for the summer. I do love a good backpack too.

Shark vs Mermaid Swimsuit by BlackMilk (£45 depending on AUD exchange rate)
I’ve wanted this swimsuit for ages and ages, I’ve seen countless knockoffs but I’ve no doubt that the genuine BlackMilk one will be worth the wait and the dollars. It’s two of my top films in one glorious mash up! (Sorry Ariel).

Shark Print Vest by Illustrated People at Topshop (£25)
I know that sharks aren’t mindless eating machines like this vest might suggest, but you gotta respect that gob! Pure summer cas’.

Shark Attack Platform Heels from Sour Puss (£32 depending on USD exchange rate)
Yeah… don’t think I’d be able to walk in these but I’d look fierce as f*ck and that’s all we really want from Shark Week.

If you love sharks as much as me tell me why in the comments and let me know about any cool discoveries!

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The Fragrance Shop Discovery Club | Summer 2015

Posted on June 29, 2015 | Leave a comment

The Fragrance Shop Discovery Club | Summer 2015

I signed up for the Fragrance Shop Discovery Club back in April for the Spring edition and to be honest, I then forgot all about it. So it was a very pleasant surprise when the Summer edition landed on my doorstep last week. Firstly, I love the packaging  – the yellow and blue feels very beachy and I always appreciate a letterbox friendly parcel! It was also stuffed with 8 perfume samples – five for me and three for the man. Here’s what was included:

The Fragrance Shop Discovery Club | Summer 2015

 

  • Hugo Boss Boss Ma Vie – green freshness from cactus blossom with floral at it’s heart and cedarwood to warm. I love this one!
  • Paco Rabanne 1 Million Cologne – a citrus explosion with masculine leather and spicy tonka been that will transport you to memories of heady summer nights.
  • Givenchy Dahlia Divin – soft, almost powdery peach with jasmine and vanilla musk. A very feminine scent.
  • 007 For Women – black pepper lends a spicy hit to blackberry and jasmine with a rich base of vanilla, musk and cedarwood. More unique and classy than you might expect for a ‘novelty’ choice.
  • Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue Sunset in Salina – Similar to the Paco Rabanne but fresher and lighter with vine leaves, freesia and orange flower with an amber base.
  • Prada Luna Rossa Sport (for men) – an energetic blend of ginger, juniper berries and lavender.
  • Dolce and Gabbana – Intenso (for men) – again featuring lavender, this one is woodier and deeper with basil the companion.
  • Loewe Solo Loewe Cedro – a woody fragrance with cedarwood, amber and gayac wood, this one is freshened with citrus and spicy pink pepper.

I’m very happy with this box, I like all of the women’s fragrances and I know that David also likes his. I love getting these little perfume samples – perfume tends to last me a really long time so it’s nice to mix it up without breaking the bank (or overloading my dresser). The club costs £5 per quarter but you can also get a one off box whenever you like. You will also receive money off vouchers for all of the featured fragrances. Good deal in my book.

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The Library of Fragrance Gin & Tonic Cologne

Posted on May 7, 2015 | 2 comments

The Library of Fragrance Gin & Tonic Cologne

The last time I smelt like a G&T was when one got upended into my lap on a recent night out. Luckily, The Library of Fragrance has created a way for you to smell like you favourite libation without wasting your gin. Well, almost.

The Library of Fragrance hit UK shelves last year with a unique selection of singular scents based on iconic and evocative fragrances. The range is certainly unusual when you read the labels (Dirt, Paperback, or Baby Powder for example) but are designed to tap into your olfactory memory. For example, Playdoh will instantly take you back to your toddler days.

The Gin and Tonic* fragrance is, as you can imagine, a zesty, crisp scent with a hit of juniper. To me, it’s a very refreshing scent which is lovely for both men and women and actually reminds me a bit of CK One or something similar. As it’s a cologne it’s quite light and you can layer a few fragrances to create your own bespoke scent. If you wanted to make G&T a bit more feminine, a floral such as Orange Blossom would be a fantastic pair for it. The bottle is a very sleek and simple design – perfect for your handbag.

The Library of Fragrance Gin & Tonic Cologne is £15 for 30ml and is available in Boots.

P.S. the background in the photo is the Discover Gin magazine – I seem to have had gin on the mind recently, can’t think why!!

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Sample Samplin’ | March & April

Posted on April 26, 2015 | 1 comment

Sample Samplin' March and April

Time to mini-review all my used up samples from the last two months so that I can can finally chuck them in the bin!  I’m actually running low on sample sized products! So I guess the whole point of this series has worked (it was to use ’em up) but it makes me a bit sad. I might have a get a few beauty boxes to build them up again!

Sample Samplin' March and April

The first thing I have here is the Malin + Goetz Grapefruit Face Cleanser. This is a gel cleanser which is great for the morning due to the zingy fragrance. I liked this but I wasn’t wowed by it. I need something a little more moisturising but if you don’t have dehydrated skin like me you might like it.

I had a little vial of Rise by Beyonce. It’s a floral perfume with orchid, freesia and jasmine with wood and musk base notes. Again, I was a bit indifferent to it, nice but wouldn’t buy it.

Sample Samplin' March and April

Next up we have the h20+ Face Oasis Hydrating Treatment. I loved this! It’s a blue gel (that basically smells like the sea) that you apply to damp skin for a deep hydrating boost. Dunno how this works, but it does. I used in instead of serum and moisturiser on most days and it feels lovely and refreshing to use too. M&S sell it so if it comes back into stock I think I will be picking this up.

Unfortunately, I didn’t feel the same about the Aromatherapy Associates Hydrating Triple Rose Renewing Moisturiser or Renewing Rose Cleanser. The moisturiser was just a bit average,  fine but it didn’t do anything special enough to counter out my dislike of strong rose scents. However, I really didn’t on with the cleanser. I had to stop using this tiny sample halfway through because it was drying my skin out so much it was becoming even more flaky. Definitely not hydrating as it claims.

Sample Samplin' March and April

I did like the Ren Evercalm Gentle Cleansing Milk a lot more. As you would expect, it was very gentle but still left you with clean feeling skin.

However, it was all overshadowed this month by the Elemis Hydra-Boost Day Cream. I think this is my ‘the one’ moisturiser. It has hyaluronic acid and vitamin E in it which are the two things I usually apply separately as I know they work for me. Straight to the top of the to-buy list.

What have you been trying/loving/hating this month?

 

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The Fragrance Shop | Discovery Club Spring 2015

Posted on April 12, 2015 | Leave a comment

The Fragrance Shop | Discovery Club Spring 2015

The Discovery Box from The Fragrance Shop is a quarterly subscription box which guarantees your best smelling mail packed with perfume samples. It’s four boxes per year for just £5 each. The number of samples varies but this one included 6 scents for women and 1 for the guys. The best thing is that the fragrances are all current season and includes a £5 or £10 off voucher for each one.

The Spring box is still available to order so this is what you can expect:

  • Hugo Boss Hugo Woman – fruity and floral with boysenberry and jasmine yet reminiscent of their classic masculine scent with sandalwood and cedar.
  • Givenchy Very Irresitible – very rosy and feminine with a hit of star anise.
  • Guerlain Le Petite Robe Noire Eau Fraiche – light and fruity with lemon, bergamot and rose but with a bit of a nutty bite via pistachio and almond.
  • Versace Eros Pour Femme – a strong fragrance with a sharp citrus hit. It has lemon and bergamot like the Guerlain but is a more rich scent with sandalwood and musk base notes.
  • Dolce and Gabbana Floral Drops – as you can guess, it’s very floral with lily, daffodil and neroli leaf with musk to deepen it down.
  • Stella McCartney Stella – a bright fruity scent with lemon and mandarin plus floral notes supplied by rose, peony and violet.
  • Versace Eros (for him) – a masculine scent with apple and mint for freshness and vanilla and cedar wood for depth.

I feel like it has something for everyone. I don’t love the Versace or the Guerlain but I do love the Stella and the Hugo Boss. Looking forward to seeing the summer selection which I believe will be available in May.

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Sample Sampling | October

Posted on October 27, 2014 | 1 comment

Samples

The risk of being addicted to beauty boxes and glossy magazines is that you inevitably end up with a crap ton of samples that you never use. So I’m on a mission to use mine! I have a large cabinet crammed full of skin care stuff (and a box of sachets) but because they’re “tidied away” i.e. out of sight, I do forget to use them. To tackle this I now keep a selection on my dressing table to force me to put them on my face. I’ll also be sharing my thoughts on them – mostly in a bid to help me decide if I want to buy them.

Samples

First up, something I’ve had for an embarrassingly long time – the Soap & Glory Peaches and Clean  Deep Cleansing Milk. This is the kind of cleanser you can really feel working. I can also see it working as it gives me a red face. My face flushes easily so this doesn’t worry me but I do think that they’ve reformulated it to be a bit gentler. It smells like peaches and menthol – very odd but strangely quite nice. Would I repurchase? Yes I would, or I’d at least be happy to see it in the obligatory S&G Christmas gift.

Samples

I actually used up two Vichy products – the Liftactiv Serum 10 Eyes and Lashes and the Liftactiv Serum 10 Youth Enhancing Serum. I didn’t really like either of these. I found that the eye serum balled up on your skin if you applied the teeniest amount too much and took a while to sink in. The Youth Enhancing Serum was better but I didn’t think it was anything special. They’re also really expensive (£24.50 for 15ml of the eye cream and £34.50 for 50ml of the serum) and I don’t think they justify the price tag so I won’t be adding them to the wishlist.

I also had a sample of the Malin + Goetz Vitamin E Moisturiser. Now this I did like. It was light, hydrating, with a pleasant soft fragrance and made my skin feel fab. It definitely lived up to it’s claims of calming sensitive skin as well. However, it is a tad pricey (£36.00 for 118ml) and I must say that I get the same result with The Body Shop Vitamin E Moisture Cream which you can usually get at half price. So I won’t be repurchasing immediately, but it’s staying in my mind in case I go crazy and fancy treating myself one day.

Samples

The Elemis Spa Treat Your Feet Foot Cream was included in the British Beauty Blogger Dream Box with Latest in Beauty. This stuff is lovely, it’s thick and pampering and it smells like eucalyptus and lavender so it’s perfect for a little indulgence a the end of the day. I’d definitely pick this up again. It sends me to sleep-town.

Samples

So I only had one sachet of the L’Oreal Skin Perfection Day Moisturiser so I don’t have a lot to say about it, except that I want more! Seemed lovely.

Lastly, a perfume sample. This is the Lacoste Eau de Lacoste Sensuelle. I would have never picked up this perfume as I don’t love the bottle design (I know, I’m a snob) but I actually love it. It’s a slightly spicy evening fragrance but still very sweet, which I like. Would buy this for sure.

And that’s my samples for this month. Let me know if you like this post and what samples you’ve been using up lately. I’ve got some good ones on the go at the moment, but you’ll have to wait ’til next month to find out what they are now!

 

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