The Fragrance Shop Discovery Club.

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm an absolute fragrance fanatic. My signature perfume has been Insolence by Guerlain since I was about 13. Even though I absolutely love this perfume, there are some days when I want to smell of something different. And Thanks to the lovely people at Rumpus PR and The Fragrance Shop, I could do just that.

Towards the end of last year, I was sent a Discovery Club box. For those of you who don't know about The Discovery Club.For £5 a quarter, The Fragrance Club sends a Discovery Club box straight to your door filled to the brim with the latest samples for you to try out. Not to mention, you also receive exclusive offers and savings to be used at The Fragrance Shop.

I received the Discovery Club:Classics 2016 edition that contained 10 amazing fragrances. I wore a different perfume for 10 days straight so I have my favourites and my 'not so' favourites.

The set included; Paco Rabannes Lady Million Privé, Gucci Guilty which I already own and absolutely love, the second Paco Rabanne fragrance and this time it was 1 Million Privé, a male fragrance was thrown in there in the form of Boss Bottled by Hugo Boss, Dylan Blue by Versace and the simple yet effective Eau De Lacoste L.12.12 Blanc.

These 4 happened to be my favourites and they also happened to have all pink packaging (coincidences ey).

Ranking first at £40.50 was the Eau de Parfum Jimmy Choo original fragrance, inspired by modern women - strong, empowered, beautiful, seductive and alluring with a hidden and mysterious sense of confident sexuality. With two sprays of this, I was feeling just that. It was surprisingly refreshing and smelt like I had laid in a bed of flowers(despite my hay fever). This was defo my favourite perfume. It was so versatile and perfect for day and night wear.

Next was the Agent Provocateur Pure Aphrodlisiaque fragrance. Having worked in a lingerie department selling Agent Provocateur and wanting one of their bras for ages, I was itching to try this fragrance. When bought individually, it is £41.50 for a 40ml Eau de Parfum on The Fragrance Shop. As their underwear is incredibly sexy, I expected the perfume to be equally sexy. The blend of Mandarin, Anjou Pear and rich Rum combined with the sweet Jasmine Petals, Wild Orchid and Indian Sambac makes it so mysterious.

The Gucci Bamboo was one of the biggest selling perfumes of 2015, receiving praise from celebrities and bloggers alike. When purchasing from The Fragrance Shop, Gucci Bamboo is £54.50 for a 50ml Eau de Toilette. This is quite pricey if you're not 100% sure whether you'll like it or not. And that's why the Discovery Box is perfect. The scent is lovely and strong which means that you only need a couple of sprays to keep you going the whole day. When reading reviews it said it smelt woody with a hint of vanilla. I can slightly understood that but the perfume was not too sweet and I received a load of compliments from people when wearing it.

And finally in my favourite four was Classique by Jean Paul Gaultier. The Eau De Toilette 50ml Spray costs £50.50. Made of rose together with rum essence -it's sweet, spicy, deep, warm and powdery and a fragrance you wear when you get all dolled up to go on a night out. It's sillage and longevity was the best out of a good bunch.

Receiving a selection of fabulous fragrances was perfect for me as someone who is looking to get that perfect alternative scent (I still love you Insolence by Guerlain) but is not too sure on which scent to go for. It can also be great if you have that annoying picky relative you need to get a present for. If you're not too sure what to get them, the Discovery Club is the perfect gift.  The Discovery Club: Spring Edition is out soon. So if you're looking for that perfect gift, or want to treat yourself (because, why not??) indulge in the best scents put together by a bunch of experts. To join click here and in a couple simple steps the Discovery Club box is yours.

Mx 

Petals & Primark.

So it's officially January 1st 2017. HAPPY NEW YEAR!


To kick off the new year, I thought I'd share one of my all time favourite trends of last year. Floral embroidery. Embroidery was everywhere last year. From dress hems to boots and bags to denim. Even though florals are a spring/summer design, I wanted to bring a bit of sunshine to a cold December day, so I donned my favourite floral bomber jacket from Primark,which I picked up at an absolute steal at £5.

Of course this was complemented by my all time favourite colour, Black. 

A black polo neck jumper from Warehouse and my trusty Topshop black joni jeans with my beautiful Ajvani knee high boots and I was good to go.

Mx 

Countdown to Christmas 2016.

Christmas day has been and gone. I've eaten my body weight in food, danced my way into many blisters at parties leading up to the big day and fake laughed at as many dad jokes as I can take.

When comparing the 20 Christmases I've lived through, this year has definitely been the best! Despite the multiple university deadlines and looming stress of January exams, December has by far been the best month of 2016.




Winter Wonderland, Hyde Park, London.




New Bond Street, London




St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London




New Bond Street, London





Winter Wonderland, Hyde Park, London.

And to top it off my Christmas day wasn't too bad. We started it off with a champagne breakfast, followed by a present opening session around the fire, then to Cafe Rouge for a 5 course Christmas day lunch, ending the day with games and combining our efforts to get through the 37483736 boxes of chocolates and bottles of wine we received.

My outfit for the day was fairly simple. A little black dress (which I bought a very long time ago from Primark for £5)because I always wear black, even on Christmas. Coupled with a red cape blazer from Lavish Alice.

Normally I go a bit candle crazy at Christmas time. I've been known for setting the fire alarm off on multiple occasions. So although Christmas day may be well and truly over,  the use of my Pick 'n' Melt candle has just begun. I received an amazing Christmas gift set a couple of weeks ago after contacting the Hampshire based firm on twitter. The set included a cute square-shaped wax burner(and to say I'm a candle fanatic, I'm disappointed in myself for not owning one of these already), 16 packs of wax melts, and a soy tea light to use in the burner. I really wanted to try every combination of Christmas scents before I did a review. Seeing as they sent me 8 scents( Christmas Time, Christmas Spice, Festive Tree, Mistletoe and Wine, Cocoa and Log Fire, Frankincense and Myrr and Snow) - I had a lot to go through. The Soy Cube Melt Tea-light Wax Warmer with a removable bowl makes it really easy to change the wax and is not messy at all. But the best thing about the product is the intense fragrance the products give off. Even when I was un-boxing the waxes, I was amazed with the smell. So when I used a tea light to melt the wax, the aroma of Mistletoe and Wine(my favourite) filled my room within 10 minutes. Unlike many other candles, I was so impressed by this. ALSO my Pick 'n' Melt  candle didn't set my fire alarm off so I was even more impressed. 10/10 to Pick 'n' Melt for originality, fragrance and practicality.

Thank you to Pick 'n' Melt  for intensifying my obsession with candles over the countdown to Christmas and I can guarantee I will be purchasing more from them in 2017. To pick from over 250 natural, vegan friendly, hand poured, sustainable vegetable soy wax flavours, head to their site. By joining the Pick 'n' Melt  party, for just £8 a month you receive your chosen Wax Melts sent to your door. You can choose from Standard or Supreme size(£12), with the supreme size giving you more scent choices and bags of the scents. Also if you have any cool pictures or videos like the one I attempted on my twitter. Don't forget to tag them in on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas!

Mx

Getting party hair with Stranded International.

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited down to Paul's Hair World at Manchester Arndale by hair extension brand, Stranded International. Stranded are a Manchester based brand offering ‘everyday luxury hair’ at great prices. Following their brand relaunch, I was given the opportunity to try out a hair piece.  I already have hair extensions in, so I was a bit reluctant to attend the event and I have turned down loads of opportunities with companies offering hair extensions in the past. But, oh how wrong was I!

The whole idea of the party hair pop up hosted by Paul's Hair World was to give girls a quick yet glamorous solution to getting amazing hair at an affordable price. Amongst the massive range of hair extensions , the lovely hair stylist knew exactly what style and colour would suit my hair and applied the clip in hair extensions so well. Even after I took them out, they were so easy to maintain as the quality is impeccable and putting them back in was a breeze. If I can do it, anyone can!

The full look!

If you want to create the look I got on the day, the extensions used on my hair were colour shade 4 (Chocolate Dahila) and can be found here.

Considering I already have extensions and these were ONLY £14.99, they were a great addition to give my hair more volume and get a bouncier look. Stranded do a range of remy, human, synthetic extensions and ponytails in a range of 28 colours. So there is something for everyone, especially as Christmas parties are in full flow. 

Mid Application. 

Also in my goody bad I got some great hair care products to look after my new extensions. Including Batiste Dry Shampoo and the Stranded International Tease Brush. Along with a Sleek Make Up Lipstick in Amped, Amazing Shine Eyelashes, a Well Gel London Chrome Nail Kit and a Apple and Acai Aspire Drinks Energy Drink.





Check them out at www.strandedinternational.com and also on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

Mx

What's in my KOKO Couture bag: Christmas Party Edition.

Everyone knows the countdown to Christmas gets earlier and earlier each year. And as the countdown commences, the festive parties start. Last week I was invited to my first party of the season. The spiced mojitos, christmas music and nibbles were in full flow.

When I was contacted by Manchester based brand Koko Couture for a collaboration post, I thought what better than combine a post about a bag I adore, which was the perfect addition to my (rather dull) christmas party outfit with my first 'What's in my bag' post. 

If you know me well, you'd know I'm the queen of all black. Even though christmas is meant to sparkly and colourful, my outfit choices are still predominantly black. For the party, I donned a strappy, black midi dress from Miss Selfridge which was bought about 2 years ago. BUT on this occasion it didn't matter, as the Alison Chain Detailed Glitter Clutch in Silver by Koko Couture brought all the sparkle and sass a girl could ask for. The detail on the metallic chain of the bag is a favourite feature of mine. The bag is priced at just £20.










In my bag that evening I had the usual stuff; phone, keys, and ID (unfortunately, they didn't make the cut when editing my pictures).

Usually, I can never find a clutch bag to fit my purse, which at the moment is the Michael Kors Jet Set Travel Leather Continental Wristlet in Cherry. But my lovely Alison Chain Detail Clutch was big enough to fit my purse. So Thank You Koko Couture for making a clutch bag that gets full marks on the practicality side.



To keep may face looking adequate throughout the night, I had my trusty MAC Studio Fix Powder in NW45, MAC lipstick in the shade Diva, a handy NYX matte Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick in LSCL12 - Vintage and a Gucci perfume sample I got as a gift. For a clutch bag, I'm surprised all my stuff could fit in it and it not look bulky.

You may have seen these bags in a Topshop near you and also on the Instagram and Twitter accounts of lots of beautiful bloggers and influencers. KoKo Couture have an amazing range of bags, alongside hair extensions which are all on trend and bang on budget. To check them out, click here! You can also find them on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. #MyKOKOCouture #KOKOCoutureUK

Until next time,

Mx