Benefit Perfume Gift Set

I personally received this gift set for Christmas and thought it would be a fitting blog post to write today considering it's Mother's Day in the UK. Although if you haven't yet got your Mother a treat then I suspect it's slightly too late. However whatever the occasion I feel this gift set would be a perfect gift for any female in your life.

This Benefit perfume gift set is available from many online retailers such as; Boots, Benefit themselves and Feel Unique. It retails for around £20 which I think is such an affordable gift price for what you receive. You get three mini's of Benefit's retailing perfumes including; Eva, Lee Lee and Gina. They all come with their individual boxes too so if you were feeling really creative then you could actually separate them and give them to three people.

The only slight downside to these perfumes are that they don't have a spray on the top which annoys me slightly. It obviously doesn't take away the loveliness of the present but it's just the little things. However I think this is such a nice gift, whether you give it whole or separate them, for all you girls.

I hope you're all enjoying your Sunday whether you're spending it with your Mother's or family or not. I can't believe the weekend is nearly over already!

Jimmy Choo Flash Perfume

I actually received this perfume for Christmas from my Grandparents, I did pick it out, but if I'm honest it was on offer online and I had actually never smelt it before. I had heard good things and read reviews but perfume can smell so different from one person to the next. So I was unsure if I was going to like the scent but this bottle was less than half price and my current one was on it's last legs so I was in need of a new one.

The bottle of this perfume is absolutely beautiful, it makes paying more money worth it when products have good packaging. This just has designer written all over it which I love and it really does look classy. Now onto the hard part, describing the scent... Well the description from the website is..

"Sparkles of Pink Pepper, Tangerine and Strawberry introduce a flash of White Flowers and Tuberose to this Eau De Parfum fragrance."

 

 

I mean it definitely does smell like one of a kind but I really think it's a scent a lot of people would actually like. Me, my sister, mum and nanny all loved the smell on Christmas Day which I think actually says quite a lot. I think you would normally get at least one person saying they're not keen on the scent but this one seems to appeal to the majority. There's the fruity notes and a hint of floral notes in there which I think just makes this scent perfect. I can't say whether I like floral or fruity scents more so for me, having the combination, is just great in one perfume.

 

Overall I'm so in love with this perfume and I cannot recommend it enough. However I would say to test it out in store before buying, I was lucky that I love it so much without even smelling it beforehand but I'm sure that's not the case with everyone!

The Library of Fragrance: Thunderstorm & Baby Powder

I'm so glad it's the weekend, my word it's been a short week but going back after having a week off just seems to be super hard. But hey, it's over and I have a weekend with nothing planned to relax (and finish uni work). Anyway I got sent these lovely fragrances from The Library of Fragrance recently to test out. The Library of Fragrance is a brand which makes the craziest scents into perfumes which is amazing. I mean Thunderstorm and Baby Powder colognes? It's so crazy which makes it so great.

These sample tubes are the perfect hand bag size and they have a spray which is great. I hate those perfumes that just have a hole at the top and you end up spilling it everywhere, annoying. The baby powder scent is pretty obvious and honestly it smells exactly like the real thing. To be fair I love the smell although very different. It's a great alternative. Thunderstorm on the other hand is a very strange scent. I mean who knows what a thunderstorm actually smells like? Well, clearly The Library of Fragrance do. I'm not sure I'm that keen on the smell of this one. I'm rubbish at describing but it basically smells like rain after it has stopped, if that makes any sense.

I know it seems odd to wear these as perfume but they are also great as room sprays. The baby powder one is definitely my favourite of the two. I've also previously tried the Fresh Coconut scent from The Library of Fragrance which you can read my review here. I would definitely check out all of the other scents they have to offer as there honestly are so many that you will definitely find one to suit you. Let me know if you've tried any scent from The Library of Fragrance :-)

Empties #3

After hoarding all of this lot for quite some time now I thought it was about right that I finally did another empties post. When I was photographing this lot I realised how many hair care items there are included, clearly I had too many in my stash and needed to use some of them up. I still have way too many but hey, what are you going to do about it.

Anyway let's get started. Firstly a sample of the Laura Mercier foundation primer which I received in a beauty box a little while back. I have actually tried this before and I'm not overly in love with it, it's one of those primers that just does the job. It's pretty runny in consistency which is something I'm not a fan of. But it was relatively pleasant to use whilst it lasted but something I would purchase myself.

Next is a small tube of Moroccan argan oil from Natural World. I received this as a present, again a while back, but I really enjoyed using it. You only needed a small amount to work through the ends of your hair and it left them feeling less dead and much more soft. I really love hair oils and how they leave your hair feeling super soft, this one was no exception.

Two Aussie products next and I really do love their hair care range. Firstly the Miracle Recharge Conditioning Spray, this was another present I received for my birthday. If I'm honest it's not probably something I would have picked up myself but I really enjoyed using this product. My hair is pretty thick and gets super knotty, this product helped so much with the knots and detangling. It could also be used on dry or wet hair which makes it a great all round product. It also had many other positives but I mainly loved it for the detangling. Next is the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Deep Treatment, another love of mine. This is actually my second tube of this and it definitely does work miracles. My hair gets dead pretty quickly on the ends and even though this product works so quickly it still does such an amazing job. I hate those hair masks where you have to wait 15+ minutes so this one is always a winner for me.

Next is the L'Oreal Micellar Water which I picked up after hearing a lot of hyped reviews about it. I did enjoy using this product, it was soft on my skin and didn't irritate it. I used it after cleansing for any make up that I may have missed and it worked like a dream. I'm not sure it was the greatest on my dry patches for hydrating them but didn't necessarily harm them. I then used up a small sample of one of my all time favourite perfumes from Ghost. I'm pretty rubbish at describing scents but this one is definitely up in my top three. I like these small samples as they are perfect for throwing into your handbag daily or in your night out bag.

Finally two more hair care products, the first one from Philip Kingsley and it's their Daily Damage Defence. Again something I received from a beauty box and something I loved using. This product had a really nice scent to it which I loved and was just simply an all round product. It covered everything you would want it to when it comes to your hair, making it super easy to use. The final product is from Uniqone All in One Hair Treatment. This product is basically another version of the Philip Kingsley one and is the perfect all rounder. It claims 10 different hair care positives, just what you would want from one spray. I very much enjoyed using both of these sprays.

Overall there are definitely some products I want to repurchase from these empties and get the full size of. On the other hand there are some I wouldn't and that's why the sample sizes are great for trying them out. Let me know if you've tried any of the products I mentioned and your thoughts on them :-)

Juicy Couture 'Couture Couture' perfume

Perfume is something that I never normally buy for myself. It's the thing I leave for Christmas and Birthdays as the surprise present. And that's exactly what it was this year! My sister and her family bought me this one for Christmas just gone. I've obviously heard of Juicy Couture but never of this exact perfume. I know perfumes can be so individual therefore hard to buy as a present but I can say my sister did a bloody good job this year. I absolutely love the scent of this perfume!

I will firstly apologise for my lack of ability to describe scents. Now that's out there this has soon become my favourite go to perfume. It's a really subtle scent with both floral and fruity undertones. The top notes of this perfume are; watermelon, mandarin, pink passion fruit, green leaves, water hyacinth and marigold flowers. So as you can see it's a complete range of both floral and fruity. I'm not keen on really floral perfumes so this one is perfect for me as it just has subtle hints within it.

The packaging is not my favourite packaging of a perfume ever but the scent does it for me and I'm really not fussed about the packaging because of it. But I do find the packaging not quite to my taste although it definitely represents Juicy Couture and just by looking at it you'd be able to identify the brand. Which is a great concept just unfortunately not to my perfume packaging taste!

Overall, as I've said, this has fast become my new favourite perfume. The scent is now my absolute favourite and I'm definitely leering towards this one in the mornings before work. This bottle is a pretty decent size so think it will definitely last me a while but I will also have to repurchase this one for myself when I've run out. I love it that much! I'd love to know if you've tried this perfume or any others from Juicy Couture? :-)

The Library of Fragrance: Fresh Coconut

I expressed my love for the smell of coconut in my last post and I'm probably about to express it again. The lovely people from The Library of Fragrance sent me this fragrance recently, which I am extremely grateful for. The Library of Fragrance have a range of 101 fragrances which may seem slightly odd. Some of their fragrances include: Play-doh, Snow, Chocolate chip cookie, Baby powder and Dirt. I mean some seem extremely odd but on the other hand genius, there is no one else to do these scents.

The Fresh Coconut scent pretty obviously smells simply of coconut and boy what a treat. It's great to spray a room or as a perfume. The scent lingers for a pretty long time and as the bottle states it really is a great pick me up scent. It instantly refreshes subtly wherever/whatever you're spraying. The bottle is simple and looks really expensive. These fragrances are priced at £15 which I think is really reasonable considering the product you get and also the crazy, different scents you cannot get anywhere else.

Overall this is an amazing scent, especially if you love the smell of coconut, if not then I am 100% sure that they will offer a scent which you love. I would definitely love to smell some of the stranger scents from their range which I believe some Boots stores do stock. If not then you can browse The Library of Fragrance website here. I'd love to know if you've smelt any of these fragrances from this range :-)

This post is not sponsored by The Library of Fragrance.

Lola by Marc Jacobs

I'm never normally one to go out and splurge on a perfume so I was lucky enough to receive this as a present. I actually got this way back for Christmas from my mum and still cannot get over how gorgeous the bottle is. Now I've always lusted over Marc Jacobs perfume bottles but to actually see this on my dressing table is pretty awesome. The lid is a gorgeous navy, red, fuchsia flower with a green leaf and the bottle is purple and a nice, sophisticated shape.

I didn't know I was going to get this so I didn't choose the scent myself but it smells amazing! Mum did good. I know perfumes differ from person to person so what someone loves others will hate. This perfume is known to be pretty heavy and 100% floral scent. I personally love it as I've said, you only need a few sprays and it lasts pretty long on the skin and obviously even longer on clothes etc. It's described as "Sexy with a flirtacious wink. A warm floral bouquet with a signature note of lucious fuschia peony. Designed by Marc Jacobs as an over the top bouquet exploding from the bottle" I must say I do agree, definitely floral and definitely noticeable.

I know I love this scent and if you're into florals then this one is definitely one you should try. I'd love to try a different Marc Jacobs perfume to compare as other reviews suggest this is the strongest scent. I'd love to know if you've tried this perfume or what your favourite Marc Jacobs perfume is?

Empties #1

My first ever empties post! I actually remembered to huddle some of my empties together to write a post on them, yay me! I always tell myself to write one of these posts but then realise that the other day I threw one in the bin, end of that post. I must say these empties are from rather a long time ago, probably December woops, but finally this post goes live.

My first empty was the Nivea express hydration primer and I really enjoyed using this. It was absolutely perfect for those 'in a rush' days before work as it moisturises and primes all in one product. It obviously isn't the most luxurious product but it did the job for a day at work and for that reason I really like this product.

Next are 2 products from Collection, first their infamous lasting something or other concealer. This was my first tube of this and it's just a little tube of perfection really. I had this in the lightest shade for under my eyes which worked absolute wonders. It was too light to use to cover my spots/imperfections and for that now I bought the next shade which I also love. I won't run on too much as I'm sure everyone reading this has most probably tried it. The other Collection item is the Fix Me Up, said to keep your make up in place for longer. First things first the bottle is pretty small, now I know Collection aren't the most expensive but this bottle barely lasted. I also didn't notice much more hold in my make up, it was nice to apply in the morning but no more than that and I doubt I'll be repurchasing again.

Aussie is one of my favourite hair care brands as they have different products for your length of hair which I like. I believe the 3 minute miracle is probably one of their best sellers, I got the one for long hair and I really enjoyed using this. It helps deeply moisturise and nourish your hair which it definitely did, it left my hair feeling super smooth and soft. I used this once or twice a week depending on how much I thought my hair needed it. It definitely did the job and I've always used Aussie products and I won't be stopping anytime soon.

Finally 2 perfumes, due to living in 2 houses I have a perfume at each and this time it just so happened that they ran out at the same time, annoying hey. First the Calvin Klein IN2U, I actually got this for my birthday from my aunt and uncle and it smells super duper good, definitely an everyday wear. I'm rubbish at describing scents I'll have you know. Next is one from Sarah Jessica Parker, this is simply an old time classic and totally reminds me of middle school. I'm not so keen on the packaging but the smell is gorgeous, I'd say this one is slightly floral but again is for everyday and this is also is super cheap, bonus.

So that's all my empties and I hope you enjoyed this post, a first for me and you as my readers! I think it's nice to get mini reviews and I enjoy them so I hope you do too :-)

Fragrance Direct Haul

So I recently stumbled across the Fragrance Direct website and what a surprise, I couldn't help myself and ordered a few new beauty bits at a fraction of the retail prices! I couldn't believe some of the bargains I found and am now officially hooked to this website. If you love high street brands then you can find a selection on this website at prices you can't turn down. Anyway onto what I purchased..

The one thing I've heard a lot of people talk about is the Essie nail varnishes on this website. We all know they retail at £7.99 and you can get them here for just £1.99! Yes you heard correctly, it's such an amazing discounted price. Although you don't get all the colours you would in places such as Boots you just have to keep checking the website in order to find a variety of colours. To be honest when I made this order the colour variation wasn't great, hence why a nail varnish addict like me only got 1, but I got this gorgeous pale pink called 'Delicacy'.

The next product I've heard a lot about is the Dainty Doll blushes, again for £1.99 it's a bargain you cannot turn down. I opted for a cream blush as I've never actually tried one before and there's a first time for everything. It's a lovely pastel pink and I'm currently enjoying using it and getting to grips with it!

I then just picked up a few random bits and bobs that I came across. First is the NYC 16 hour lip stain in a gorgeous fuchsia, it's literally just like a felt tip pen but for your lips. I'm loving the colour so far but not so sure about the lack of moisture and gloss but I wasn't really expecting that much from a stain but for only 99p I haven't lost much. I then got some T-Zone nose pore strips, a friend at work raves about nose strips and absolutely loves them so I thought I'd give them a go. I've only used one so far so I will continue to use the rest to see how I feel about them. Another nail varnish I got was the Bourjois 10 days no chips and I can't see that this one has a name but it's just a lovely ruby red. I have tried this polish and love the colour but can't say that it lasts for 10 days, it does last longer than
some other polishes I have, maybe a good 4-5 days. Then I got W7 eye and brow clear mascara, it was £1.99 and I've used it every day since I purchased. I'll give you a sneak review before I upload the full one but I am in love with it! I've been using it on my brows (hence why it's slightly brown now, ha!) and also before I apply my mascara :)

Finally I picked up a perfume, I've loved this perfume for god knows how long and finally I got myself one! It's a 30ml bottle and it was only £9.99, absolute bargain! It's Sarah Jessica Parker's NYC perfume. I'll tell you now I'm rubbish at describing scents but it's not too heavy and is very much an every day perfume. The bottle is very pretty and patterned and of course pink :) If you've never smelt it and are after a nice cheap perfume I would definitely check this one out!

I hope you enjoyed this haul and keep your eyes peeled for full reviews on the products I've been loving from this haul! If you want to check out the Frangrance Direct website then just click here

Happy Monday xo