Empties #2

I haven't written many empties posts so I thought one was long overdue. Below are products I have finished over the last few months and my opinions on them.

Boots Essentials Cucumber Cleansing Lotion
My skin suddenly got very dry and I had to switch from a hot cloth cleanser to something that wasn't as drying and much more creamier. For me the cucumber scent is so nostalgic: it reminds me of the Boots Natural Collection cucumber spray I had in my teens, the scent is very fresh. You're supposed to massage this into your skin and then wipe away or wash it off. Usually I rinsed my face afterwards but on lazy days I applied this with a cotton wool pad and then wiped it off with a wet or another dry cotton wool pad and my skin was fine, it doesn't leave a film on the skin. Initially I found that it made my cheeks feel rubbery, I don't know if this was due to the silicones (dimethicone and Silicone) but this feeling only lasted the first four times I used it.

This cleansing lotion will remove some mascaras (Benefit They're real but not Rodial) and generally all waterproof eye liners although not as easily as No 7's eye make up remover. I have sensitive skin and this hasn't irritated it or broken me out. It does contain paraffin liqiuidium (mineral oil) which has a bad rep for clogging pores and 'suffocating' skin. However a thin layer of mineral oil in a well formulated cream won't actually suffocate skin, your skin will work just fine. However I know some people are allergic to this ingredient. The cucumber extract is almost the last ingredient on the list which makes me wonder whether the cucumber has any cleansing properties at all or if it's just there for fragrance.
Repurchase? Yes, especially if I was on a tight budget.

Simple Micellar Water (sample size 50ml) 
I'm a big fan of Simple's products because I have sensitive skin. I've been using this as a morning cleanser and at night as a general cleanse or as a first cleanser in a double cleanse routine. Initially I found that this had a warming sensation on the skin but then it went after a two weeks of using it.  It hasn't broken me out though. It is aimed towards dry or dehydrated skin and while it didn't leave my face feeling tight afterwards I did need to follow up with something moisturising. However It didn't leave a film afterwards which was good.  It doesn't have any artificial perfumes or colour which I appreciate and it's one of the reasons why I choose Simple products, but this micellar water has an odd smell-like earth and moss mixed with something chemical. However you can't really smell it once it's on your face and has dried down.

I feel that this is an 'ok' or average micellar water, it doesn't leave a film, irritate or break me out but it also doesn't give you a squeaky clean feeling and takes a lot of effort to remove waterproof eye liner.
Purchase? I'm not a big fan of micellar waters they seem to require a lot of cotton pads so it doesn't feel very effective.  This did get my skin clean without irritating it and the price isn't bad (currently £4.94 for 200 ml) so I might buy it again if it's on offer and use a separate eye remover.

E45 
This is my go-to moisturiser. It's fragrance free and very gentle on the skin. It's not greasy but because it's a lightweight lotion I have been adding a drop of The Ordinary's Squalane or Rosehip oil for a nourishing boost. I always buy this moisturiser in a tube because I feel that they're more hygienic than the tubs.
Repurchase? Yes.

Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief 
I tried this once in the winter and found that is wasn't moisturising enough. I then used this in the summer and found it moisturised well. It is gel like rather than a cream which I not sure I liked but the lightweight formula makes it a good to use in the summer for those with oily-normal skin. It contains lady's thistle extract, birch bark extract, green tea and I was surprised to read caffeine! It has a fresh scent. This can be used as a lightweight moisturiser but is supposed to be an additional 'drink'  or 'thirst relief ' for the skin.
Purchase? Not right now. Maybe in the future. I would like to try more in Clinique's Moisture Surge range but at the moment I can't because of budget restrictions. If my skin is dehydrated next summer I may purchase this. However I just feel that buying a hydrating serum might be a better way of adding moisture to the skin.

L'oreal Smooth Sugars Nourish Scrub for face and lips 
This is a manual face scrub rather than an acid exfoliator. It contains grains of fine sugar which you apply to dry skin. Then you add water and rub the scrub in circles until the sugar dissolves. It is a very gentle scrub with cocoa seed butter to soothe dryness and the lipids in the coconut oil protects the skin barrier. The sugar grains are fine, they don't feel scratchy on the skin and there are lots of them which makes it much more effective than the Elemis Gentle Rose Exfoilator which did not have enough jojoba beads to actually exfoliate the skin. It smells of cocoa butter but it contains so much more than that, with apricot kernel oil, soybean oil, sunflower seed oil and rosemary extract. L'oreal promises instant and long lasting, visible results. Immediately after use and several days later my skin felt soft and smooth.
Purchase? Yes!

Clinique Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturiser SPF15 in 03 Medium Sample 
I was surprised at how much coverage this gives- I'd say has the coverage of a light foundation. The colour match was pretty good though it was slightly pink/orange toned for me (I am more yellow toned) but it didn't matter because it can be applied in a sheer layer across the skin. It didn't irritate my sensitive skin and I liked the addition of an SPF and the fact it's oil free. (For reference I am MAC NC15/Bobbi Brown Warm Sand/Nars Ceylan.)
Purchase? Maybe. I used to buy Clinique's foundations before I realised that they were too orange toned for my yellow toned skin. If I could get a shade that had more of a yellow tone I'd buy it. However as it stands they only have four shades.

Simple radiance cream
The radiance in this cream is gold glitter. You may not want to wear this to work as the glitter is very noticeable. I only had a sample and I didn't have enough to use under foundation to see if that way of applying it would give a subtle radiance instead. If you wear contact lenses be careful about washing all the gold glitter off before putting your lenses in.
Purhase? Probably not.

No 7 Eye Makeup Remover
This is a dual phrase makeup remover where you shake the oil and rest of the liquid together. It's ophthalmology tested and does't sting my eyes as some makeup removers can. It removes waterproof mascara and eye liner without any trouble. I often get this when Boots give vouchers for no 7 skincare for around £3.
Repurchase? Yes

Too Faced Shadow Insurance Eye Primer in Candlelight (Not pictured) 
I often worry when trying a new eye primer that it will really irritate my sensitive skin, but thankfully my skin gets on with Too Faced Shadow Insurance original formula and the candlelight version. Candlelight is a champagne tinted eye primer. I often wear gold/ champagne eye shadows as they brighten up the eyes and this acts like a primer and base eye shadow rolled into one. Initially I really liked this but then I began to feel that the gold looked too bright and brassy and not as soft and subtle as I would have liked.
Repurchase? Yes but in the original formula.


Body Shop Body Butters

Mango
This was the first body butter I tried and I'd say it is the best. It smells gorgeous and more importantly it mositurises incredibly well even if I skip a day applying it my skin still feels mositurised. I'd describe the consistency as being more like a lotion than a cream.

Olive 
Although organic olive oil is the third ingredient this body butter it doesn't smell of olives. To me it smells of that Boots Natural Collection Cucumber spray I mentioned above. It smells very fresh. This is aimed at those with very dry skin but I found the mango more mositurising. The consistency is thicker than the mango being more like cream/mousse hybrid. It did leave my skin soft and I loved the smell.

Strawberry
I loved the smell of this in the shop, but I actually found the strawberry scent to be really fake and cheap despite having strawberry seed oil in the ingredients. So it went in my drawer for a few months before I decided to use it again. This time around the smell didn't bother me as much. The consistency is like a mousse. It's also aimed at those with dry skin and while it made my skin soft I prefer the mango and olive body butter.

Coconut
This body butter smells very tropical but can sometimes be a bit too sweet. It moisturised my skin really well.

Repurchase? Yes to the Mango, Olive and Coconut. No for the strawberry body butter.

Aveeno Daily Body Yogurt 
This is lighter than The Body Shop body butters but very creamy and moisturising. Although it doesn't state on the sachet I think this is the vanilla and oats version. I like the scent despite not being a big vanilla fan.
Purchase? Yes.

Salcura Bioskin
Salcura Bioskin is used to treat skin allergies such as eczema. The ingredients are 99% natural and smells of essential oils.  The leaflet that came with these samples had amazing before and after photos. However it did little to soothe, moisturise or improve my skin during my eczema break outs.
Purchase? No.

Head and Shoulders Anti Dandruff Shampoo Smooth & Silky
It's always good to have an anti dandruff shampoo in the bathroom cabinet and this has such a gorgeous fresh smell. I am looking for a new shampoo without MCI and MI preservatives but unfortunately this has both.
Purchase: Maybe. I absolutely love the smell but having sensitive skin and eczema I should really avoid these preservatives.

Pantene Pro V Smooth and Sleek Shampoo
I usually use Pantene Pro V Classic shampoo but I bought this smaller sized bottle for a weekend away. I noticed that I needed less of the Smooth and Sleek shampoo to lather up and the scent is very sweet. However the Classic shampoo is better at keeping oily roots at bay.
Repurchase? Maybe if I couldn't find the Pantene pro V Classic Shampoo.

Palmers Shampoo (not pictured.) 
The coconut in this shampoo will make you smell like a Bounty chocolate bar. However it didn't control my oily hair because I had to wash it again 24 hours later. If you don't have oily hair then you may like this.
Purchase: No.

Givenchy Very Irresistible Perfume EDT
Usually I don't like sweet, floral perfumes but this one is actually really nice. It's quite modern so it's not in the 'smells like a grandma' category of perfume. The top notes are cassia, lemon verbena and anise. The middle notes are floral with rose, peony and magnolia and the end note is taif rose. To me all I can smell are the florals, mainly rose. I can't smell the lemon and I actually hate anything that smells (and tastes) like anise (such as aniseed, licorice and fennel) but it doesn't ruin the perfume for me. I guess it counterbalances the floral ingredients so they don't smell too sweet. It's a modern and feminine perfume but not really me. I prefer fruity and oceanic perfumes.
Purchase: If someone gave me a bottle I'd happily use it but I wouldn't rush out to buy it.

Ghost Eclipse & Ghost Deep Night EDT Perfume Review

*This post was first published in August 2014 but has been updated to include a review on Ghost's Deep Night fragrance as well as Ghost Eclipse.

Ghost Eclipse EDT Fragrance

Ghost Eclipse was released in 2014. The crescent shaped bottle follows previous incarnations of the series (Ghost Deep Night 2001, Ghost Deepest Night 2002, Ghost Summer Moon 2003, Ghost Summer Dream 2004, Ghost Summer Flirt 2006.)  The warm colours of Ghosts Eclipse bottle remind me of sunsets, exotic holidays to Morocco and bright Indian saris. Ghost Eclipse smells like the original ghost fragrance with an orange, fruity twist. Immediately after applying it smells very citrusy and then settles down into a more musk and freesia combination. The top notes that create the first impression are very fruity, containing  bergamot, lemon, mandarin orange, blackcurrants, peach, apple and marigold. The middle notes or core scents are lotus, freesia and rose while the base notes that you can smell later on are amber and musk. This is a fresh scent and because the perfume is light it doesn't set off my asthma which can be triggered by heavier scents.

This perfume would be appropriate to wear for any occasion, especially for summer days and  early summer evenings but for night outs though you may want to take it up a few notches and opt for a heavier, sexier scent. Unfortunately the perfume doesn't last a whole day more like 4 or 5 hours so will require another spritz or two during the day. The perfume cloud or silage is moderate. A full sized 30ml is around £21 so compared to pricier perfumes this won't break the bank. This perfume is similar to Moschino's I Love Love and D&G's Light Blue so if you prefer a chicer bottle to Moschino's I Love Love or want to fork out less money than Dolce and Gabbana's Light Blue this is a good alternative.

Ghost Deep Night EDT Fragrance

Ghost Deep Night was released in 2001, it contains the flower Belle de Nuit which translates as beauty of the night which probably inspired the name. The dark purple crescent bottle almost looks black signaling this as a night time fragrance with an air of mystery. Ghost Deep Night is a more muskier version of the original Ghost perfume, it's more sensual and suited to evenings out rather than daytime wear. The top notes are floral with Indian rose and Belle de Nuit, the heart notes are peach, apricot and white wood and the base notes are amber, musk and vanilla. Although it contains floral and fruit ingredients this is not your typical rose, vanilla or fruity scent. It settles down and ends up smelling very sweet and musky, although there's a hint of wood to it. I'd describe this as a grown up, sophisticated vanilla- musk fragrance. Although the next day I could still smell the scent on the cuffs of my jumper it smelt a lot fruitier and I could smell the peach and apricot too. It's both feminine and masculine at the same time. I'm not generally a fan of vanilla or musk but somehow I like this perfume, I think it's because it smells similar to a perfume my friend wore this at university and it reminds me of that time in my life and isn't that far off the original Ghost perfume which I like. If you're after a sophisticated vanilla-musk perfume I'd recommend it. I'd say that the perfume cloud or trail is on the slightly heavier side of moderate. The longevity is longer than Ghost Eclipse lasting a good 7-8 hours before becoming really close to the skin. I'm holding the 10ml version from a set of miniatures in the photo which is why it sits in the palm of my hand, unfortunately it lacks a spray nozzle so the larger bottles are better. Out of the two fragrances I prefer Ghost Eclipse for the mandarin, peach and freesia notes and it's actually one of my favourite perfumes.

Ghost Eclipse EDT Available at Escentual from for £21.25 30ml
Ghost Deep Night EDT Available at  Escentual from £21.25 for 30ml

Shay and Blue Blood Oranges Perfume Review

Shay and Blue London are an English boutique perfumery established in 2012 and has gone from strength to strength, wining Best Artisan Fragrances in 2012 (Monocle) and the winner of Best New Fragrance House in 2014. Founded by Dom De Vetta and Julie Massé, Shay and Blue specialise in modern, artisan, natural fragrances using real flowers, fruit and spices. Their products are paraben and phthalate free. They do not test on animals and they are certified by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.)

Blood Oranges is a citrus, unisex perfume launched in 2012 and created by Julie Masse. The scent is very fresh as it should be with the 100ml bottle containing three pounds of real fruit. The scent won Best Classic Fragrance in 2016 by Wallpaper Magazines.

This was in my Marks and Spencer Beauty Christmas Calendar and now it's summer it's the perfect time to wear it as it's very fresh and summery, though it would be a good to wear during spring too. I have had another orange scented perfume before Manderine Therapy by The Healing Garden which I liked it and wore it as an everyday perfume to work.

This is a 10 ml bottle with a spray nozzle which I prefer over a roller ball as I find that you get more projection with a spray. The nozzle is strong and emits a rather powerful spray. I like the look of the simple 10ml bottle, although it looks a bit like a room fragrance bottle or aftershave. The perfume is unisex though so looking paired down or like an aftershave matches the brand and the unisex fragrance.

I don't know why but the 10 ml and 30 ml bottles are blue and the 100 ml is in a green bottle. However I know everyone seems to fall in love with the design of the largest bottle. To me it's fairly attractive, has a old fashioned pharmacist vintage vibe but I don't think it's very special or innovative compared to Ghost's crescent moon bottles, Gallop d'Hermes stirrup bottle, Kenzo leaning poppy bottle and DNKY Be Delicious apple bottles.

The perfumery is very much like Jo Malone, producing unisex, modern, natural scents focused on real fruits and flowers and both are based in London. The branding is similar with simple bottle designs and labels and the larger bottles presented in similar boxes. The Shay and Blue box has a clean, classic Breton stripe, bow and of course a blue box, it's pretty but still unisex.

 Shay and Blue 

Courtesy of  Shay and Blue

In this perfume the immediate, bursting top note is blood orange. Blood oranges are a cross-breed of exotic pomelo and clementine. The middle note is leather and the later bottom notes or dry down  contains musk, wood and amber. It is quite a simple perfume with only five notes. I can smell orange, leather, a bit of pine trees though it's very subtle and some musk towards the end. The orange note smells like fresh orange juice and tangerines, natural, fresh and invigorating. Initially it's full on fresh and sharp and then mellows to slightly sweet and and then slightly bitter. This is the first fragrance I've tried with leather as a note and initially I though it was odd to use in a fragrance. However leather has been used for centuries and Hermes are well known for using leather and and the note is also used in Dior Fahrenheit, I just haven't come across it before as I usually go for fruity floral perfumes. However it surprised me as it complements the orange, making the scent warmer, enhancing both notes and bringing a sense of comfort. Shay and Blue's website describe the bottom note as charred wood but to me it's not smoky at all but fresh pine and very, very light and subtle.  There is a slightly musky note towards the end which gives it a hint of sexiness but it's very close to the skin so I can imagine a die hard orange fragrance fanatic could wear this at night as the smell is intimate but it would probably not be musky enough for most people to wear as evening scent. This is mostly a linear perfume where the orange scent remains throughout with only very subtle changes as it wears. This is not a sweet, candy scented orange so some people may find this too masculine a scent.


On me Blood Oranges lasted around 5 hours (on hot days) and wore close to the skin for the last 3 hours. I think the longevity is slightly below average. Shay and Blue also sell Blood Oranges body and hand washes, body and hand lotions and hand creams so you can layer the products to extend the longevity of the fragrance. You can wear this fragrance to work as it's not very overpowering, the projection (perfume trail) is moderate.

The largest bottle of Shay and Blue Blood Oranges contains 100ml and is priced at £55 which is good value for a such a generous bottle. While a 10ml bottle doesn't sound like much it's good for travel and for trailing a scent. The price isn't that bad considering it's a luxury perfume on a price level with Clinque Aromatics Elixir which also sells for £25 for a 10ml bottle.  Comparing it to Jo Malone, the starting price is lower with the smallest Jo Malone bottles containing 30ml which sells for £45. Shay and Blue also sell combination gift boxes and samples on their website. If you're a big fan of the scent they also sell Blood Orange candles to scent your home.

To sum everything up, this is summer in a bottle and reasonably priced. I can see it being  popular as a daytime scent and suitable for pretty much all occasions and ages.

Stocked in Marks and Spencers, QVC UK (which has lower prices) and on the Shay and Blue website (they offer international delivery.) 

Feel Unique Pick and Mix Samples Review #2

Feel Unique have a Pick and Mix Sample service where you can choose five samples for £3.95 and get a £3.95 voucher once you've confirmed that your order has arrived in the post. To find out more about Feel Unique's Pick and Mix check out my post here.

Elemis Pro Collagen Oxygenating night cream 2ml (Full Size 50ml for £95 here)
The Pro Collagen range is Elemis's bestseller, the 'marine' ingredients are Laminaria Digitata and Red Coral which helps to maintain optimum skin condition while the Mediterranean algae, Padina Pavonica helps to improve skin suppleness, firmness and elasticity. The oxygenating benefit is helped by the anti-oxidant rich sesame and avocado oils delivering free-radical protection.

This cream is heavily scented which reminds me of Nuxe Huille Prodegiese. It sinks into the skin quickly and mositurises well without being greasy. I got 4 uses from this 2ml sample so you don't need much. My dehydrated skin has been feeling tight across my cheeks and this cream has alleviated it a little. My skin felt supple and looked healthy and slightly more radiant. The sample size meant that I couldn't test whether it delayed any signs of aging in the long term and I don't really have lines or wrinkles yet to see a difference in the short term. However I think this works to keep the skin moisturised and it does brighten up dull skin but the strong scent was a deal breaker for me because that can sometimes trigger my asthma attacks. The price of the full size jar is very expensive, retailing at £95 for 50ml. While a premium brand like Elemis spends a lot of their budget on clinical trials and sourcing the most effective ingredients, there is a part of me that thinks that you're just paying for the fragrance. Perhaps when I'm nearing 40 I might notice an anti aging effect but right now it's not worth it for me. 

Elemis Gentle Rose Exfoliator 3ml (Full Size 50ml for £31 here)
Elemis Gentle Rose Exfoliator is a manual rather than a chemical exfoilator. It's a gel that contains micro jojoba beads rather than environmentally damaging plastic micro-beads to exfoliate the skin. However the beads are very fine and it seemed like they weren't enough of them to do the job. I found it more effective when I used two fingers to rub in small circular motions to get the beads to exfoliate. I have sensitive skin so anything with the word 'gentle' on a exfoliator will get my attention but it didn't really feel as if I'd got rid of any dead skin cells but rather I had given my skin a mini massage.  This smells exactly like Turkish delight, the rose is there but it's not overpowering.  I love the smell of jojoba but I couldn't smell it at all in the product which is a shame. Although Elemis says to use this once a week I feel that you could probably use this daily as it's so gentle. However I think that this will be ineffectual on most skins so I wouldn't recommend it.

Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips Matte Revolution lipstick in Secret Salma (Full size 3.5g for £24 here)
When I was looking at swatches of Secret Salma online the lipstick looked like a bright almost fluorescent pink. However it's actually a darker, dusty pink that is a step up from a neutral looking pink and it is really pretty. It has a vanilla like smell. The sample cardboard applicator worked quite well. First you unseal it, fold the card over and place it between your lips as if you were blotting lipstick. Unfortunately it only has one or if you're lucky two applications so I couldn't really test how long it lasted on my lips but it didn't make my lips feel dry or uncomfortable. I am planning on buying one of Charlotte Tilbury's lipsticks although I haven't decided which one to get yet!

Dermalogica Intensive Moisture Balance (Full Size 40ml for £40 here)
This feels lightweight but it's moisturising enough to use after a shower or bath when you need hydration the most. It also makes my skin feel soft. I also find that a little goes a long way so a bottle would last a while. It's creamy but also a bit greasy and takes awhile to sink in. The main reason why I wouldn't purchase this in full size is the smell! Although it does have some flower and leaf extract it does not smell herbal or of essential oils, it actually smells like it should belong in an industrial factory. Normally I prefer fragrance free products as my skin is very sensitive and fragrance is a common irritant. Unfortunately the smell lingers even after the cream has absorbed into the skin so it's a no from me.

Daisy Dream Marc Jacobs EDT 1.2ml (Full Size 30ml for £42 currently £35.70 here)
This is categorised as a fruity-floral perfume but to me it smells mostly like a sweet floral perfume. This perfume is inspired by 'boundless daisies and blue skies' and it is a clean, fresh scent and the bottle matches the scent exactly. I really like this perfume. The opening notes are blackberry, grapefruit and pear. The middle notes are wisteria, jasmine and lychee. The base notes or dry down consists of white wood, musk and coconut water. I can smell the blackberries, grapefruit, blue wisteria, jasmine and musk. I don't like very sweet scents so the grapefruit balances it and saves the perfume for me. I couldn't detect the coconut at all. While the smell is nice and sweet it's also fairly generic, it doesn't stand out. As the sillage is fairly soft and the smell is pretty inoffensive it would be good to wear at work. It tends to last around 3 hours on me which is OK I guess for an EDT, although I have read reviews of people complaining that for the amount of money this costs the scent should last much longer. Maybe the EDP is the way to go. This is a light floral scent that would be good to wear in the daytime in spring or summer.

Katy Perry Killer Queen Perfume EDP Review

Hello everyone! So what are your opinions on celebrity perfumes? Generally the whole celebrity perfume trend has past me by. However I do own Sarah Jessica Parker's NYC which I bought for the fruity scent and the fact that it was fairly cheap. (Definitely not for the bottle.) While I love some of Katy Perry's songs including Fireworks, E.T. , Rise and Swish Swish, I'm not a devoted fan. However right now I seem to be writing this to a Katy Perry playlist on Youtube!

Katy Perry's Killer Queen perfume was inspired by the lyrics of Freddie Mercury's 'Killer Queen.' She explained "Freddie Mercury painted the lyrics of this woman who I wanted to be. She seemed very powerful and she captivated a room as she walked in..I think I'm falling finally into the woman Freddie painted."  I like the fact that the name she gave her perfume was personal and not a random name that sounded cute or cool.  The perfume is described as sophisticated, edgy, powerful and a delicious scent.

The perfume bottle is just so stunning! Quite simply: The. bottle. is. everything!  I love the gorgeous ombre ruby design, it completely matches the concept Killer Queen because the lid looks like the top of a royal orb. The crest on the cap has Katy's initials and on the reverse side there is a picture of two cats which is cute. The bottle looks so pretty and classy on a dressing table. Because of the diamond shaped bottle it has to sit on it's side so it does take up more space than other perfumes. You can keep the perfume in the packaging but it's a bit bulky and the plastic doesn't do the magnificent bottle any justice. It's a shame it doesn't come with a elegant stand to hold the bottle but I found a quick  D.I.Y Perfume Stand Tutorial by Judy from This and That which looks easy to do, so I'll probably give that a go at some stage.

This was given to me by a friend, it isn't a perfume I would usually choose myself as I prefer fruity and oceanic scents. The opening notes are plum, bergamot and forest fruits. This is followed by the middle notes jasmine sambac, frangipani and celosia. Finally the end notes are praline, patchouli and cashmeran. The initial spray is quite sweet and smells similar to Lancome's La Vie Est Belle and then becomes more musky. At the the end I can smell the patchouli, cashmeran and praline.  Although the scent is described as fruity- I would say it's more of a sweet, spicy and gourmand scent as it smells sweet like caramel which is probably the praline I'm picking up.The perfume is hard to pin down as it changes through the day. Despite this it's not a particularly unique smell. I think the scent does match the name because it's quite adult and sophisticated with a spicy, dark note. It's a warm scent that would be good to wear during autumn/winter and the spicy notes gives it more of a sexy scent to wear in the evenings. I've read reviews complaining that the perfume doesn't last very long but on me it lasts an average of 6-8 hours which I think is pretty standard for a perfume. The sillage or 'perfume cloud' is soft to moderate, initially for the first few hours other people can smell it but after that it wears closer to the skin. I think it only comes in Eau De Parfum.

Although it's not my holy grail perfume I enjoy wearing it and I like the fact that I have another evening perfume to wear (the only other one I have is Ghost Night.) Now among my fresh and fruity fragrances I have something more spicy and sexy in my collection.  It is an affordable perfume and good value for money as you can pick up larger bottles fairly cheaply (apart from Boots.). The bottle looks luxurious for such a low price point. I think if you like sweet and spicy perfumes or gourmand scents you'd like this.

The Perfume Shop 100ml EDP £12.99
ASDA Direct 100ml EDP £18
Argos 100ml EDP £19.99
Fragrance Direct Gift Set 30ml EDP £12.99
FOR U.S.A. Target 3.4 fl OZ EDP $13.99  

Christmas Skincare & Fragrance Gift Guide

If you're just browsing, working through your christmas gift list or buying a cheeky treat for yourself (ssshh!) I hope this gift guide is helpful to anyone reading and looking for gift ideas.

Avene Sensitive Skin Saviour Kit £20 // Alpha H With Love Kit £25
Dermalogica Breakout Clearing Kit £23.75 // Clarins Radiance Expert Skincare Gift Set £17.50
Vichy Aqualia Christmas Coffret £16. 65 // Ole Henriksen All Four Love Set 3 Mini Gift Set £15.30

For teenage acne skin this Dermalogica Breakout Clearing kit will do the trick, it contains a foaming wash (50ml) toner (50ml) daytime treatment (15ml) matte moisturiser SPF15 (15ml) and an overnight treatment (15ml). Alpha H liquid gold is highly rated but so expensive so this is a very affordable option to try out and at £25 it's a bargain! The kit contains liquid gold 50ml, essential hydration cream (30ml) and a balancing cleanser (30ml). The Clarins Radiance Expert Skincare gift set sounds like good value for money too coming in at £17.50 and contains Pure Melt Cleansing Gel (30ml)  Beauty Flash Balm (15ml) Renew-Plus Body Serum and a mini lip gloss prodige in 04. 

Avene and Vichy are both aimed at sensitive skins. The Avene set includes two 50ml Extremely gentle cleansing lotions, Thermal spring water 50ml and skin recovery cream (50ml.) The Vichy set sounds perfect for beating dehydrated, winter skin and includes Aqualia Thermal Light 50m, Aqualia Thermal Awakening Eye Balm 15ml and Aqualia Thermal Night Spa 15ml. The Ole Henriksen All for love is an anti ageing skincare set and includes Sheer Transformation a lightweight moisturiser with multi fruit AHAs  (7g,) an invigorating night treatment with AHA (7ml) a Truth serum collagen booster (15ml.) and African red tea foaming cleanser (45ml.)

Soap & Glory Girl-o-whirl £12// Caudalie Travel Set £12.50
Nuxe Travel Kit Gift Set £13.50 // Sanctuary Just Because Gift Set £10.50
Decleor Aroma Lisse Discovery Kit  £17.60 // Burt's Bees Natures Best Beeswax Gift Set £19.99

Many gift sets under £25 are travel kits which means you can sample the products and get a feel of the brand and if those products suit you. They also make a lovely gift to someone who wouldn't normally treat themselves to the more high end brands such as Caudalie, Nuxe and Decleor.

The Caudalie Travel Kit is £12.50 and pretty much contains everything anyone would need. The Kit consists of  Micellar Cleansing Water (30ml), Vinosource Moisturising Sorbet (10ml), Gentle Conditioning Shampoo (30ml), Rose des Vignes Shower Gel (30ml)  Nourishing Body Lotion (30ml) and Divine Oil (3ml.)

The Nuxe Travel Kit Gift Set is £13.50 and includes Reve De Miel Face Cleansing Gel (15ml), Creme Prodigieuse (15ml), Huile Prodigieuse (10ml), Reve De Miel Hand And Nail Cream (15ml,) Prodigieux Shower oil (30ml.)

The Decleor Aroma Lisse Discovery Kit contains a Decleor Aroma Cleanse 3-in-1 Cleansing Foam (50ml), Aromessence Mandarine Oil Serum (5ml), Aroma Lisse Cream (15ml)1000 Grain Body Exfoliator (50ml) and Aroma Confort Moisturising Body Milk (50ml.) It comes in at £17.60 & Look Fantastic is offering a free Decleor gift too.

The Burts Bees Natures Best Beeswax Gift Set includes a Vitamin E and Peppermint Lip Balm, (4.25g), Wild Cherry Lip Balm (4.25g) Lip Shimmer Rhubarb (2.6g) Intense Hydration Day Lotion (50g) Soapbark and Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream (170g) and  Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream (15g.)

The next two items are from Boots who are doing a 3 for 2 offer on gifts.
The Sanctuary Just Because Gift contains four generously sized products for just over a tenner. The gift includes a Cleansing Burst Body Wash (75ml)  Gentle Polish Body Scrub (50ml)  Luxurious body butter (50ml) and a Velvety hand cream (30ml.)

Soap & Glory's Girl -O-whirl Gift set has really cool packaging. It comes in 3 tins that you can swivel around to form a different girl in different clothing and I'm sure could be reused afterwards. The kit  includes Rich and Famous Shower & Bath Body Wash (75ml) Smoothie Star Breakfast Scrub Body Polish (50ml) Smoothie Star Body Buttercream (50ml) a Smoothie Star Hydrating Hand Cream (50ml) and a shower puff.
*Boots have knocked down the price of The Soap and Glory The Whole Glam Lot Limited Edition Suitcase containing 10 full sized items. It is now £30 instead of £60. See more Here

Charlotte Tilbury The Gift of Goddess Skin £150// Charlotte Tilbury Magic Skin Trilogy Day & Night Eye Cream Set £195
Kiehl's Jeremyville Ltd Ed. Bodycare set £30 //Origins Your Perfect World £40 (worth £68)
Eve Lom The Radiant Ritual £50 // Cowshed Ultimate Hamper £100
First Aid Beauty Peace Joy & Fab Kit £44 // Emma Hardie All Star Collection £85 


If you're after luxury then Charlotte Tilbury is it. She has two gift sets both feature her 'magic cream.' The Gift of Goddess Skin trio set includes a Goddess clay mask, Magic cream that reduces the appearance of wrinkles and smooths the skin and Wonderglow that gives skin healthy glow. The Magic Skin Trilogy gift set contains magic cream, magic night cream and magic eye rescue cream.

The Kiehls Jermeyville Bodycare Set is £30 and comes with Creme de Corps, a rich non-greasy, hydrating body butter,  Ultimate Strength Hand Salve, and two deluxe samples of Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser and Grapefruit Liquid Body Cleanser.

Origins Your Perfect World Set includes an Age defence moisturiser with White Tea (50ml) Antioxidant cleanser with White Tea (50ml) Age defence treatment lotion with White Tea (50ml) Age defence skin guardian with White Tea (15ml) and a travel wash bag. The contents of the Origins Your Perfect World set is worth £68 but sells for £40.

 Eve Lom The Radiant Rituals Set contains her famous cleanser (50ml) a cloth, Brightening Cream (10ml) , Rescue mask (15ml) and  Kiss Mix lip treatment (7ml.)  The set is worth £79 and sells for £50 and would be perfect for a winter skincare routine.

First Aid Beauty Peace, Joy and Fab kit contains 28 Radiance Pads, Face cleanser ( 56.7g), Ultra Repair Hydra Firm Sleeping Cream (48.1g)  Vitamin Hydrating Mist (59ml) Ultra Repair Cream (170g.) The value of the kit is £79 but sells for £44.

Finally Emma Hardie All Star Collection includes her famous Moringa cleansing balm (50ml), dual action cleansing cloth, Brilliance facial oil (5ml) Age support treatment cream (50ml) and midas touch  face serum. The contents of the gift set are worth £141 and sells for £85. Feel Unique are also throwing in a free Emma Hardie Plump & Repair Intense Lip balm with any Emma Hardie Christmas sets.
* At the time of publishing the Cowshead Hamper is sold out.

Beyonce Heat Seduction EDP set £12 // Estee Lauder Miniatures Set £18.99 
Davidorff Cool Water Gift set 30ml EDT £14.95  Calvin Klein Beauty 50ml £19.99 // Rihanna Rogue 75ml EDP Bracelet Set £15//
Britney Spears Curious Gift Set £20  
DNKY Be Delicious 3 EDP Miniature Gift Set £20 // Katy Perry Killer Queen 30ml Set £14 

There are many options available when buying perfumes on a budget of £20 or just £15, and they're not all celebrity perfumes either. Fragrance direct have a Davidoff Cool Water gift set for half price at £14.95. I love the scent of Davidoff Cool water, as the name suggests it has aquatic notes of ocean breeze, fruit and woods. The set comes with 30ml EDT bottle and a 75ml shower gel. If you're not sure what perfume someone likes then a set with a variety of different perfumes may be the way to go. This five miniature set from Estee Lauder contains the following perfumes: Pleasure (5ml) White Linen (3.5ml), Beautiful (4.7ml), Sensuous (4ml) & Modern Muse (4ml). Once I saw  Calvin Klein Beauty 50ml EDP selling for £19.99 I had to include it! It is a musky, floral fragrance containing ambriette seeds (musk mallow) Jasmine and cedar.

Superdrug have some great deals on perfumes at the moment. I love DNKY Be Delicious, (you can see my review here) and this cute trio of 7ml mini perfumes includes DKNY Be Delicious, DKNY Fresh Blossom and DKNY Be Tempted.

Onto celebrity perfumes Beyonce's Heat Seduction gift set contains 30ml EDP, body lotion  (75ml) and Shower Gel (75m.)  The perfume is a fruity, spiced musk with mandarin, dewberry, ginger flower, amber and musk. This £12 gift set is good value for money as it contains an EDP rather than the less long wearing EDT and the body lotion and shower gel are a decent size too. The Rihanna Rogue gift set is now half price at £15, it includes a generous 75ml EDT and three edgy bracelets- I think a tween or teenager would like this set. The Britney Spears Curious gift set includes 100ml body souffle as well as a 100ml bottle of Curious EDP which is a floral-vanilla- musk scent. It contains fresh lotus, magnolia, jasmine and precious woods. The Katy Perry's Killer Queen perfume trio gift set includes 30ml EDP, royal body lotion (75ml) and shower gel (75ml.) Killer Queen is described as a floriental scent: the main note is Celosia (red flower) and the base contains patchouli and liquid praline. The bottle design is absolutely stunning too.

Ghost Gift Set EDT 50ml £36 // Chloe Signature Gift Set EDP 75ml £75.95

Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue £69 // Marc Jacobs Decadence EDP 50ml £52 /
Giorgio Armani Si Gift Set 50ml £69.65// Miss Dior EDT 50ml £62.50

I am a big fan of Ghost's perfumes and this Ghost gift set is good value for money as it includes an EDT 50ml bottle as well as a mini sized EDT 10ml bottle, a cosmetics bag, scented candle, hand lotion, lip balm and nail polish all for £36. While Chloe is a floral-woody scent that I think a lot of people would like. It has top notes Lychee, Freesia and Peony, middle notes of Lily of the Valley, Rose and Magnolia and base notes of Virginia Cedar and Musk.The Chloe gift set contains 75ml EDP, 100ml Body Lotion and 5ml Mini EDP. The Dolce and and Gabbana Light Blue perfume is a fruity floral scent with lemons and apple and jasmine and white Rose. The Light Blue gift set comes with body cream (100ml) , and EDT rollerball (7.4ml) as well as Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue EDT (100mls)

Decadence by Marc Jacobs is more sexy and sophisticated than Daisy and Lola. The top notes are Italian plum, saffron and iris, while rose, jasmine and orris root form the heart and the base includes warm amber, vetiver and papyrus wood. The set comes with a shower gel (75ml) and I love the handbag shaped bottle too. Si by Armani was and the gift set contains Miss Dior is a floral perfume with an earthy slightly citrus element and would probably suit teens- twentysomethings. The gift set includes Eau de Toilette natural Spray 50ml and body milk 50ml. Giorgio Armani's Si smells of vanilla, patchouli,rose and freesia. The gift set contains Si Eau De Parfum bottle (50ml) as well as a mini Armani Beauty Ecstasy Mascara in Black and a mini Armani Beauty Rouge D'Armani Lip Gloss as well. It sells for £69.

Top Title photo credit: geishaboy500 Happy Christmas 2008 via photopin (license) Changes Made

Disappointing Beauty Products #7

When trying out beauty products there are always going to be some that you don't get on with but for others it's their holy grail. These are just my experiences if you use any of these products and love them then don't stop.

Sanctuary Spa Ultimate Salt Body Scrub 
I really wanted to like this body scrub especially as it has jojoba oil- a scent I love, as well as coconut and almond oil which are famous for their moisturising properties. The salt is anti-septic as well as being good for exfoliation. However after doing a patch test on my leg I found that it made my skin itch and look irritated which was a shame. I'm glad it was only a sample size and that I didn't buy the big jar (though it would look pretty in the bathroom.)

Marks and Spencers Island Escape Sea salt and Bergamot  EDT
This was in M&S's beauty box. While the bottle is really pretty and summery, tinted yellow for the sand and blue for the sea,  I really didn't like the scent. There is only a touch of musk, but to me this smells like men's aftershave- like toned down Lynx- yuk! On M&S's website there are lots of people raving about this but it did not appeal to me at all.

Laura Mercier Translucent Pressed Powder 
I liked this translucent powder because the colour is an off white cream shade, which meant that it didn't look ashy on my olive tanned skin. However whenever I use this on my forehead I end up with more spots for some reason.

L'Occitane Repairing Shampoo For Dry and Damaged Hair
L'Occitane's shampoo promises silky hair that shines and to repair dry and damaged hair. It has five essential oils (angelica, lavender, geranium, sweet orange and ylang ylang) together with plant derived amino acids they form an anti-breakage complex which helps to repair and smooth the hair fibers. It is silicon free and has a herbal smell due to the essential oils, rather like Neal's Yard products, but on application it smelt like aniseed to me, a scent I hate. The smell does disappear after washing your hair. However immediately after the first wash my hair looked really frizzy on the top of my head and the next day although it was clean it looked stringy and oily despite not actually being oily. My hair looked a little shinier but I don't know if it repaired any damage because my hair didn't really feel nourished. This was a sample, the full size is £17 for 300ml and I felt that there are much cheaper shampoos out there that do a much better job.

Merumuya Melting Cleansing Balm
This has so many good reviews and I felt that it cleaned my skin so well. Unfortunately the next day this gave me spots and the red patches on my face had got even bigger! You can see my full review here.

Primark Egg Makeup Sponge 
This sponge is very firm compared to the Real Techniques sponge and doesn't really increase in size when it's wet. While I found the pointed end useful to apply foundation around the eyes I found that
bouncing it/stippling seemed to darken foundation and sometimes remove it. I didn't really enjoy using this despite all the positive reviews and I found it harder to clean compared to the Real Techniques one.

Empties: Sample Edition

Garnier Moisture Match for Dull Skin (Wake Me Up)
This moisturiser is a clear gel which has a cooling effect that is very similar to anti cellulite creams. The gel actually smells like a perfume because it's so heavily fragranced and also has a strong alcoholic scent. The fragrance is fruity and fresh due to the grapefruit fruit extract and lemon fruit extract to energise you and wake you up. However the scent doesn't completely mask the strong alcoholic smell which irritated my eyes and stung a little on application probably due to the fact that alcohol denat is listed as the third ingredient. It does absorb quickly but I'm not sure how moisturising it is. It did wear well under my foundation (sleek oil free compact foundation.) It's also paraban free but does contain silicone (Dimethicone.)
Purchase? No. I like the concept behind this range- having moisturisers targeting different skin conditions but did not like the fact this has so much alcohol in it.

Merumuya Melting Cleansing Balm

This is probably the only negative review of  Merumaya's Melting cleansing balm which is such as shame as I was so excited and wanted to like it so much and it does seem to work for a lot of people. It smells like grapefruit (although there's no grapefruit instead it's citronelol: lemon.) It contains Echium Seed Oil (RevitElix ™) and Mangosteen extract too. The smell reminded me of Neals Yard's essential oil beauty products. The texture is very oily thanks to the almond oil and it's easy to massage onto dry skin while it emulsifies make up (the 'melting' part.) It then turns milky on contact with water. Then you're supposed to remove the balm with a cloth, I used one of the Liz Earle's muslin cloths. Merumaya recommend normal skins to repeat the cleanse and oiler skins to follow with Merumaya's Luxury Facial wash. Since this easily removed all of my Estée Lauder Double Wear Light foundation,  I can imagine that it would remove a much heavier foundation (i.e. Estee Lauder's Double wear foundation) without any trouble. It doesn't sting when gets into eyes. It can be used to remove eye makeup and I've read several reviews saying its fine but one who woke up with puffy eyes afterwards so I decided to err on the side of caution and to use a separate eye makeup remover instead (as I do with Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish.) The next day the red patches on my cheeks got bigger and became sore (they weren't before) and I also got six painful under the skin spots. I did actually test this on half my face and was fine so I then used it all over on a different occasion thinking I would be fine. I think those with sensitive skin or dry skin should not apply this twice in order to prevent dryness and irritation. While it's cheaper than Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish and Eve Lom, it is on the more expensive side compared to drugstore/high street cleansers, it retails at £16.50 for 100ml.

Purchase? No. It made my skin worse!

Body Lotions - These both lasted 2 weeks.

Aveeno body Lotion makes your skin feel so incredibly soft, however I didn't really like the smell (It's supposed to smell like oats, and although I eat porridge I couldn't really get with the smell) Purchase? I don't know. Maybe if it was on offer and if my skin was very dry- I would have to mix it with something that smelt nicer!

Garnier Body Intensive 7 days lotion  I absolutely loved the scent, it smells like Shea butter (which is one of the ingredients) sweet without being sickly. However it does contain alcohol and mineral oil which could irritate some skin types. This lotion does leave skin feeling soft  but I think Aveeno pips it to the post in the skin softening stakes and the softening effect lasts longer with Aveeno despite not having a 7 day claim. 
Purchase? Maybe if it's on offer.

Sunscreen 

Hawaiian Tropic Satin Protection Ultra Radiance SPF 15
Hawaiian Tropic Satin Protection Ultra radiance SP30 has received a lot of criticism for not actually protecting up to SPF 30 according to the Which? study testing sun lotion in 2014. This makes me a little wary of the SPF15. More confusing is that both products seem to be recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation judging by the stamp on the packaging. Anyway it smells so nice and summery, a floral scent combined with coconut and cocoa. The smell isn't overwhelming which is good as I'm sensitive to strongly perfumed cosmetics. The 'Ultra Radiance' effect is gold glitter which is noticeable in sunlight. This maybe a bit too bling/disco ball for some but it would give a glistening highlight when applied to the legs. However SPF15 is pretty low so I'd avoid this if you're pale or are going to be on the beach all day.
Purchase? Probably not, the sun protection factor is too low I usually buy SPF30-35.

L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream
This is L'occitane's best seller and has even been in Vogue's Top 100 beauty products as well as wining a Bella Beauty award in 2015. This is their original 20% Shea formula, and while it does make your hands feel soft and moisturised with minimal grease, I really don't like the smell, it's sort of like baby talc powder. I prefer their Jasmine version.
Purchase? This one, no, but I would buy others in the range.

Perfume

Kenzo Flower in the Air EDP
This perfume smells floral and sweet, however there is a hint of fruit (raspberries) and pink pepper that stop it being too sweet. I tend to go for fruity scents and steer away from sweet floral scents. The raspberries gives it a fruity feel, but more in a sweet way rather than the fresh, light feel of apples in DKNY Be Delicious or other citrus-y perfumes. The top notes are raspberry and pink pepper, the middle notes are floral including rose, magnolia and gardenia. The base note is white musk. This sample is actually a EDP which is unusual since most perfume samples are more often EDT. The scent was strong for the first hour but it did fade through the day. Around 8 hours later I could just about smell the scent on my wrists but no-none else would be able to.
Purchase? I haven't fallen in love with this scent and I would have to in order to spend £51+ on it for the EDP. The EDT is cheaper at around the £30 mark but again this is not a 'must have' for me.

Makeup

Everyday Minerals Face Soft Bronzer 
I got this free with a brush I bought from Everyday Minerals. I think the 'soft' in the name refers to a soft, subtle warming bronzer for light skin tones. It's a pinky orange shade that probably won't show on medium and dark skin tones. On my hand it's close to my skin tone  but on my face it is a very subtle and more orange than brown (I'm roughly Mac NC25/BB warm sand/Estee Lauder intensity one.)  I applied it over liquid foundation and again on moisturised bare skin but it didn't look good either way.
Purchase? No. It's too orange and doesn't really show up. To be honest I'd suit a darker shade.

Shampoos

L'oreal Elvive Nutrigloss Luminiser High Shine Shampoo
I have fallen in love the scent of this shampoo, it's very fresh and floral. This shampoo is labelled as a 'high shine shampoo' that uses glycogel shine sealer technology to resurface the hair fibres of impurities that disrupt light reflection and help seal the cuticles, coating hair with a weightless gloss. Typically for a shampoo that promises smooth (and therefore shiny) hair it does contain silicon (dimethicone) but is is free of MI (Methylchloroisothiazolinone)  MCI (Methylisothiazoline) preservatives that can cause an contact dermatitis allergic reaction and nerve damage. My hair was shiny after using this shampoo but because I have straight thick dark hair almost all shampoos make my hair shiny. As promised it didn't weight my hair down but I still needed to wash my hair the next day as it didn't control my oily hair.

Purchase? Probably not because it didn't control my greasy hair as well as my regular Pantene shampoo. But it would be good for other hair types- such as normal or dry hair.

L'oreal Elvive Smooth & Polish perfecting Shampoo
This shampoo contains Keratin-polish to make hair smooth, control flyaways and calm static. The camellia extract also makes hair soft. As well as keratin it contains Silicon (Amodimethicone) but is MI (methylisothiazolinone) and MCI (Methylchloroisothiazolinone) free. The shampoo has a pleasant fresh floral scent (although I preferred the nutri gloss the most.) It left my hair smooth and shiny but as I said earlier that often happens with most shampoos. My hair does feel a little softer and did not get greasy until the evening of second day hair which is as good as my current Pantene shampoo. It does benefit from using a conditioner with it though as I noticed some frizz and my hair was a little drier using this.
Purchase? Yes. I would say it's best for oily hair, this is going on my shopping list, paired with a good conditioner this should be great.

Benefit Cosmetics Benetint and Laugh With Me Lee Lee EDT Review

For Christmas my friend gave me a Benefit set that included The Porefessional primer, They're Real mascara (which I've already reviewed here) as well as Benetint and a sample sized Laugh with me Lee Lee EDT perfume.

Benetint is one of the most well known liquid lip and cheek stains. As you can see it's in a glass bottle and the lid contains a brush applicator similar to a nail polish brush. This makes application really easy and mess free. Benefit say that you should paint three strokes on each check and then use your fingers to blend the blush on the skin. The blush is a pinkish red, Benefit calls it 'rose tinted' and it would suit most skin tones, though I'm not sure if it would show up on black skin tones. I have tanned, olive skin and it shows up on me fine. Once applied the colour reminds me of a Snow White natural rosy blush. Benetint also smells like rosewater but once it's dried on the cheeks you can't the smell anything and my sensitive skin did not react to any of the ingredients. It can be applied to bare skin too. It dries fairly quickly on the skin, but not so quickly that blending is a race against time, and once it's set it won't budge. However I did find that this tended to fade a little towards the end of the day which is disappointing for a stain. You could lock the product in with a similar powder blush if you didn't want to reapply during the day. However it's a small bottle that's not heavy and is packaged in such as way that it would be easy to apply on the go.

On the lips Benetint gives a 'my lips but better' pinky red matte look.You can use the Benetint brush to paint in your lips but I found that this tickled and so I often used a lip brush instead. Benetint can be built up in layers. I would recommend moisturising your lips with a light lip balm to prevent the stain clinging to dry parts and looking like your lips are bleeding. It has a rose flavoured salty taste. If you're lucky it may last through a drink but definitely doesn't last through a snack or a meal. The lasting power is disappointing.

The bottle contains 12.5 ml of product and while you don't need to use much per blush application , if you're using this on both cheek and lips you would get through this fairly quickly. I feel that £24.50 is expensive for how much product you get. Benetint has it's place, it was one of the first liquid blush and lip stains and the packaging is super convenient. However while this does it's job (although the lasting power is sub par in my opinion) I don't feel this is a 'must have', I don't really get the hype around this product. You can buy Benetint at Benefit Cosmetics and Boots.

Laugh With Me Lee Lee EDT 

Laugh With Me Lee Lee is a floral, fruity scent that's light and woody. It's a blend of citrus, jasmine and lily blossom, amber and blonde wood which keeps the scent fresh and not too sweet. I love the smell of Jasmine which you definitely smell in this perfume but it isn't overpowering. Laugh with Me Lee Lee is feminine and light, perfect for daytime, spring and summer evenings. The scent isn't strong so it's great for my asthma but the scent doesn't last all day, I'd say it lasts about 7 or 8 hours so you would need another spritz during the day. On Benefit Cosmetics website they mention that their fragrances are "blendable" allowing you to mix fragrance to suit your mood or occasion, which explains why they are light rather than heavy scents. I really like this scent and would repurchase, the price however is on par with DNKY and more expensive than some of the GHOST perfumes priced at £29.50. Available here at Benefit Cosmetics.

6 Iconic Perfume Bottles and The Stories Behind Their Design.

 1. Chanel No 5 by Coco Chanel 1921

                                    Source changes made. Right Palace De Vendrome Source

When launching her perfume in 1921, Chanel famously said 'I always launch my collection on the 5th day of the 5th month, so the number 5 seems to bring me luck- therefore I will name it No5.' The abstract name matched the distinctive smell which separated it from the flowery scents with flowery names at the time. Chanel no5 used synthetic ingredients including a blend of rose and ylang ylang that was much less floral.In contrast to the overly decorative perfume bottles at the time Chanel's bottle was very simple and austere. The inspiration for the bottle isn't clear: it is said to be influenced by the whiskey decanter Coco had, others say it was the Charvet toiletry bottle that once belonged to her then-love Captain Arthur 'Boy' Capel. The final design by Jean Helleu didn't deviate much from the squarish shape Chanel had in mind. The clipped corners of the Place de Vendome match the clipped corners of the Chanel bottle.The bottle reached iconic status in Andy Warhol's famous pop art prints and since 1959 it has been on permanent display in New York's Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) Chanel have even launched No 5 perfume shaped handbags.                          

2. Shalimar designed by & for Raymond   Guerlain 1925 

Right fountains from Shalimar Gardens Source

Shalimar was inspired by the Shalimar gardens in Lahore, Pakistan and the love story of it's royal residents. Part of the Shalimar gardens was commissioned by love-sick Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan in 1619 , where he would walk with his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. When Mumtaz died in childbirth three years after her husband succeeded his father to the throne, he built the Taj Mahal as a memorial to his wife. Shalimar also means 'temple of love' in Sanskrit. Europe in the 1920's had a fascination with the East, with it's exoticism, khol-eyed beauties, passion and addictive substances. The bottle is inspired by the garden's fountain, the curves are the basin and the blue transparent fan stopper represents gushing water. The bottle was manufactured by Cristal Baccarat (who along with Lalique first turned the perfume flacon into an objet d'art.) The perfume was displayed at the Decorative Arts Exhibition in 1925 and won first prize. Recently the bottle has been redesigned by jewellery designer/socialite Jade Jagger, a more pared down version that doesn't alter drastically from the original. 

3. L'Air Du Temps by Nina Ricci 1948

L'air du Temps was launched in 1948 after World War II, in a spirit of harmonious joy. The conceptual themes are universal peace, purity, freedom and love. The perfume was to represent the symbol of femininity and eternal youth.  L'Air du Temps is also the air that we breathe, the mood of the moment, the reflection of each era. L'Air du Temps… An unequalled moment of emotion.The original bottle of Nina Rici L'air Du Temps was created by Marc Lalique, considered one of the greatest perfume bottle designers of all time who influenced by art noveau made perfume bottles an objet d'art. He worked with Francois Coty, Roger & Gallet,Houbigant, Molyneux and Worth. His design was a sunburst with a frosted glass insert and stopper. Then in 1951 his design changed to two frosted doves ontop of on a swirled flacon/bottle which encapulated the concept of Peace. Limited editions aside the bottle has remained to the present day. The limited and speical editions have all had doves in the design with variations on the number of doves, the color of the doves and the color of the bottle. The exception was in 1996 when Lalique made a winged version of the bottle that did not have the doves see far right above.

4) Classique by Jean paul Gautier 1993

To me this bottle of a woman's body always reminds me of Madonna's pointy gold bra (also designed by Gautier for her Blond Ambition Tour) but this design has roots further back in history. Shaped like a tailors dummy it references the fashion houses dressing famous stars. This design was heavily influenced By Elsa Schiaparelli's 1937 surrealist bottle called Shocking. Shocking was based on Mae West's corseted hourglass figure. Mae West asked Schiaparelli to design her costumes for The 1937 film Every Day's A Holiday. Schiaparelli based in Paris would not travel to Hollywood and West could not go to Paris. A compromised was agreed when a torso with West's measurements was sent to Schiaparelli's Paris Workshop. Incidentally Shocking was Frida Kahlo's favourite perfume. The designer of Jean Paul Gaultier's classique bottle is Saint Gobain, while Gaultier personally designed the boxes.Today a tin can contains Jean Paul Gautier's perfumes, the unusual choice is because Gaultier likes to use everyday objects and turn them into art. The Eau De Toilette is in a frosted glass bottle and a silver metal can, while EDP comes in a bottle dressed in a lacy dress and in golden metal packaging.

 5) CK one by Calvin Klein 1994.

Left Source Middle Source Right source

This perfume epitomises the 90's, appealing to disaffected, sexually ambivalent, grunge generation X. Popularity for this 'new' unisex brand went through the roof. Because the perfume was marketed as as unisex the bottle design was kept very minimalist to appeal to both sexes- Fabien Baron designed a flat screw top bottle, reminiscent of a hip flask or gin bottle keeping the look edgy. The adverts were shot unconventionally in black and white, using moody looking androgynous models to emphasize the unisex brand. Clever marketing on the back of the current zeitgeist ensured CK One broke industry rules and records,  selling 20 bottles per minute at its peak. 

 6) Flower by Kenzo. 2000

Kenzo's artistic director Partrick Geudj wanted the bottle design to be based around a flower because of the floral scent but he also wanted the flower to symbolise peace after being inspired by the photograph above taken by Marc Ribaud during a March for Peace in Vietnam in Washington' (21st October 1967.) It showa a girl holding a flower as she faces a line of soliders holding bayonets guarding the Pentagon. The resulting design by Serge Mansau is a tall narrow glass leaning to the side like a flower in a breeze and a trompe l'oeil image of a flower which makes it look as if there is a flower inside the glass vase bottle. Serge Mansau has also designed Ô by Lancome, Declaration by Cartier, Eau de Rochas or Diorella.