Top 5 Summer Scents

This post is about my favourite scents for the summer, it appeared on the lovely Vicky of Lots of Love, Me blog as a guest post. I am a huge lover of perfume and my collection is slowly growing, there are one or two favourites that I could never be without - Bvlgari Pour Femme being one of them.  Every now and again though I like a change and often find my inspiration from some samples that I receive.  All of the perfumes which feature within this post have grown on me and have been purchased from samples.

So as you can see there us quite a few brands here and starting in the top left we have Bvlgari Rose which was released in 2006 and is a scent that I loved from a very first spritz. described as follows:

Rose Essentielle is the richest and most sophisticated fragrance in the Bvlgari pour Femme Collection. Since 2006, this scent has been the ultimate expression of luxury, it offers women who seek an extremely sensual floral signature the perfect evening complement.

The ingredients add a youthful and graceful touch to the original scent, reminiscent of a delicate Rose. The added fruity notes of Bergamot and Orange add a zesty sparkle to the richness of the precious Rose notes in the heart of the composition, making this fragrance refined, transparent and luminous.

The fact there are two rose scents make this perfume absolutely stunning and is something you should all try and sample if like me you love rose scented products.  It has a really good longevity about it once spritzed and is one of those fragrances which will last all day.

Next we have DKNY Be Delicious. This is the only perfume from the range that I currently own, I say currently because I am keen to add more of them to my collection. Again I loved this from the first spritz and is described as follows:

"A modern feast for the senses, this juicy fragrance combines the scent of apple with a sophisticated blend of exotic flowers and sensual woods"

It literally smells just like the description and is one of those scents that has a long lasting scent and I find that if I spray it on my way to work in a morning, I can still catch a sniff of it on my way home 8-9 hours later.

Givenchy Very Irresistible is next and I got a sample of this in a perfume sample subscription box and wore it everyday until the sample ran out and then bought a full sized version.  It is described as follows:

"Very Irresistable Givenchy eau de toilette was created, from a unique alliance of 5 roses, the queen of flowers, emblematic of Hubert de Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn. The 5 roses are sublimated by their association with star anise, giving a bright, radiant, energetic and mouth-watering twist to the fragrance. The end result is a unique sensation of sheer seduction and luminous attraction".

Again for me it is that rose scent which catches my love and attention, there is something about it which works well with my skin and makes it last for a long time once it has been spritzed.

Marc Jacobs Daisy Sunshine was gifted to me by my work colleagues and at first I wasn't too sure that I liked it.  I persevered with it and now I absolutely love it, more so than the original Daisy.  It is described as a:

"Radiant and sparkling, the fragrance captivates with a mood-brightening infusion of juicy red fruits. The heart blooms with notes of vivid spring blossoms and tender lychee, then dries down to a velvety base of blushing apricot skin and musky woods".

Once you spritz it, the first scent you get is one of fruit and as the scent settles it does become less vibrant and in your face and more subtle and that is when I love it the most. Again it lasts a good 5-6 hours before you would need to re-apply it.

The final perfume is Miss Dior Cherie, a classic and another scent which took a while to grow on me, but once it did I loved it.  Described as follows:

"Romantic by nature, Miss Dior Chérie inspires an intense and playful love, for which she is also searching. She personifies the spontaneous joie de vivre of today's young women, representing a particular type of freedom and seduction. The fragrance is characterised by an instant and captivating charm".

Again this fragrance combines the use of Turkish Rose and Bulgarian Rose to give it one of its main scents so it is not a surprise that I like it, but it also includes Patchouli and Neroli which make up the fruity scent.  This perfume is one which needs just a slight spritzing as it is quite a powerful scent and another one which can and will last all day long, it takes a good 2-3 hours when on my skin to fade slightly and again I can still smell it on my skin 8-9 hours later.

So those are my favourite scents for the summer.  Do you change your perfume during each season?  Do you have a signature scent for the summer and is there anything you would recommend I try?

My Lipstick Collection

So I asked on Twitter if anyone wanted to see a post on my lipstick collection and I got a resounding YES to do it, so this is that post.  Before I entered into the world of blogging, I owned no lipsticks, it wasn’t anything I was bothered about because I had a lip balm addition instead.  Overtime I have read lord knows how many posts on lipsticks and have found myself hankering after one or two, okay lots of them and have purchased one or two myself, so here is my collection.

So far you can see from my photo, there are 8 lipsticks of which two are the same, it does happen to be my favourite lipstick and it was a bargain, but anyway, this is what they are

Miners Cosmetics - Dreamer. I got this as part of my February Glossbox 2013 and it is quite a dusky pink colour, not a shade I like that much, but with a bit of gloss it looks okay.  

Cargo Cosmetics - Bermuda.  I got this lipstick from the Debenhams Beauty Event I went too and it is described as being a nude pink, but I think it is more of a warm pink and it is really pigmented, not that you can see from the photo above.  

Oriflame 3D Lipstick - I got this from a blogger meetup last year and it is reviewed HERE on my blog.  Again, it is described as being a nude peach but with the way it is designed it is said to create an optical illusion effect giving you fuller lips. In one single swatch you can create the effect due to the contour, volume and colour.

Vivo Pink Sweetie - I never ever wear this shade because I find it too pink.  It does however glide onto your lips effortlessly and is quite moisturising, just a shame about the colour.

Rimmel Kate Moss No.8 - I picked this up a few weeks ago quite by accident and I love it.  Said to last for up to 8 hours and formulated with black diamonds.  Now it doesn't last for 8 hours, it lasts for 2-3 if you are lucky but I really like the shade and I would describe it as being a dusky pink.

Rimmel Moisture Renew - Latino 200. Now this little beauty has an SPF20 and vitamin A, C and E as well anti-oxidants to protect the lips. It also contains three Super Moisturisers - Collagen, Polypeptides and Hyaluronic Acid which help to keep your lips soft and smooth. Colourwise it is descirbed as being Mid Rose Pink and it looks fantastic on my lips.  I am a huge fan.

Oriflame Hollywood Red - Part of the Demi Moore range for Oriflame, I reviewed this product HERE and whilst it would not be my colour of choice, it is a super lipstick and is really pigmented.

Dior - Rouge Dior 649 - My favourite of all the lipsticks I have and it has been reviewed HERE. I first came across this lipstick at the Debenhams beauty event when I had a mini make-over at the Dior stand and this was the colour chosen for my lips and I loved it.  Then I happened to be in my local pharcmacy and found this lipstick on offer and decided I needed to have it, it was fate and bought two.  The colour is Mythical Pink and it is so lovely, lasts for hours, much longer than any of the others mentioned in this post and is one I would repurchase time and time again.

The one lipstick missing from the photo is my Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter in 005 which is called sugar Frosting which you can see reviewed HERE and this is one product that stays in my desk drawer at work as an emergency.  This lipstick gives a very subtle nudey pink colour to your lips and is described as being a 'sheen lipstick', which it most certainly is.

In the next week or so there will be a review on my lip crayon collection which is growing quite rapidly.

So there you have my collection.  Do you think I am missing a brand, should try a certain lipstick or have any recommendations for me?

My Favourite Products 2013 - Part 4

Having brought to you my favourite products for my lips, body and hair and then face, today I am bringing to you my favourite Make-up products of 2013, these are products that I have gone back to time and time again and absolutely love.

Make-Up

Make-up is one of those 'terms' and some of those 'products' that I love to use.  I am by no means an expert and nor I am overly confident in what I am doing which is why you will rarely see a FOTD post from me.  I tend to stick with what I know and like and experimenting isn't something I am good at, but here are my favourite products of 2013.

Seche Vite - Whilst I need to look after my nails a little bit more than I do to ensure they are not as weak and brittle as they are now, Seche Vite is by far one of the best products I have used on my nails.  I always use it as a top coat whenever I polish my nails and it dries so quickly and gives me a few extra days of no chipping with my nail polish.

Rough Dior 649 - I reviewed this lipstick HERE and it is to date my most favourite lipstick.  I was introduced to it at a Debenhams Beauty event that I was lucky to attend and have my make-up done by Dior and I was so impressed with the lip colour, I now own two for myself.

Porefessional - The first product I am to feature from Benefit and one of my favourites.  As a balm that minimises the pores I love that it does exactly that for me and I have gone through quite a few tubes of it to date and I am now using up my mini samples before deciding whether or not to re-purchase or try something else.

Fine One One - Another product from Benefit and one that I won from a Blogger Competition.  I wanted this product as soon as it came out, but I held off for ages reading review after review of it, some great and some not so great.  I love it and use it more as a highlighter on my cheek bones and it gives this really lovely shimmer and sheen once it is applied.

They-re Real - My current favourite mascara, the first time I used it, I knew it would be one of those products that would stay in my make-up bag.  I love how it makes my lashes look and appear longer, how it doesnt clump or flake once it is applied and it lasts a really long time once it is on my lashes.

Dream Weave & Co. Original Lash Extension Magnet Mascara - I was introduced to this product in October when I was kindly sent one to try out and review which you can see HERE.  I am so impressed with it that it is always in my bag.

Hoola - Again from Benefit, Hoola is my all time favourite Bronzer and when I was first given this I thought it would be far too dark for my very light skin-tone, however, I was mildly surprised that it actually looks really good on my skin and as long as I don't apply too much of it, it can look really natural.

Suede by Sleek - This product was my first introduction to the world that is Sleek make-up and it is currently my favourite product from Sleek.  I reviewed it back in October which you can see HERE and I pretty much wear it everyday because it is quite subtle and gives a lovely colour to my cheeks.

Hello Flawless - My all time favourite powder from Benefit and I wear it everyday, usually over a BB Cream as I am yet to find my Holy Grail foundation, they always seem too dark for my skintone, so I stick with a BB cream and this to give me a look I am comfortable with and it has an SPF15 which impresses me.

That Gal - Yep another Benefit product from me and I use That Gal quite a lot because I like it a Primer, it definitely does make my make-up last much longer and I dont get the feeling of clogged pores from using it, which is something I disliked from a similar product from another brand.

Collection Eyeshadow Pencils - I bought two of them on a whim a few months ago and Vintage Blush which is shown above is the shade I use more often than not.  As well as an eyeshadow, which is really easy to apply, I have also used it as a highlighter and it works really well.  I reviewed the two crayons  which you can read HERE

Max Factor Colour Elixir - I was introduced to these products when I took part in my very first beauty box swap and I instantly liked them.  My favourite colour of the two was Subtle Coral which is featured in the photograph above and reviewed HERE and I like the shade they give me when I wear them.

There you have my favourite make-up products.  

Do you think I am missing out on using anything or is there a product you think I should try?