Perfume Collection - Latest Additions!

I've been lucky enough to receive some of my most lusted-after perfumes over the past year or so and haven't yet featured them yet, so consider this a mini perfume collection update! Perfume is one of my favourite genres of beauty (if 'beauty' were to have actual genres), and I actually feel undressed if I forget to put it on in a morning! It's the perfect last layer to an outfit, and I pretty much splash a fragrance on for any occasion (even dog walking!). Ok, let's get straight to it before I start waffling...


Vera Wang 'Princess'

First up is Vera Wang's 'Princess'. This beauty has actually been around since 2006, but has already fast-become a modern classic within the tween/young adult market especially, and has provided numerous spin-offs such as 'Princess Flower', 'Princess Night', 'Glam Princess', and most recently 'Princess Power'. I was gifted this 100ml bottle for my birthday last month - I think it'll last for several more years! The original fragrance is a lightweight, day scent of an overwhelming floral aroma, with notes of waterlily, pink guava and chiffon vanilla. It's marketed very much at the glamorous youth of today, and I really love the bottle shape and how the cap is a cute little crown! The main upside to 'Princess' is how wearable this is all year round, and the only downside I found is that its staying power is somewhat lacking disappointingly!


Marc Jacobs 'Daisy'

Secondly, is Marc Jacobs 'Daisy'. An indisputable classic, this fragrance has been around even less time than 'Princess' and was launched in 2007. I actually received this last Christmas, but this was my absolute go-to perfume in spring and summer this year. Unless you've not read a magazine in seven years, you'll have undoubtedly seen the adverts of natural, earthy-looking carefree models rolling around in grassy daisy fields with a huge version of the bottle in their arms - the bottle design is definitely one of the most recognised in today's perfume market. 'Daisy' has notes of wild strawberries, violet and white woods accord composing its light, youthful, floral scent. One of my favourites, and actually has the exact same pros and cons as 'Princess'!


DKNY 'Golden Delicious'

Next is a version of DKNY's 'Be Delicious', in the form of  'Golden Delicious' which came out quite recently in 2011. (You can also see me in the reflection a little! Hello!) I also received this for Christmas 2012, and it copies the original 'Be Delicious' bottle in the shape of an apple, which I think is so cute in a completely girly way. I have to say firstly that this is sitting at the front of my dresser right now, and has been for some time as I tend to wear this most days of late! This has so many plus points behind it that I can't really find any faults. It's perfect for day-to-night wear, the scent has perfect longevity throughout the day, and is wearable all year round. I also love that this scent is quite unusual and isn't one that everyone has or recognises. There are notes of orange flower, rose and sandalwood making up this fruity, floral fragrance. 

Britney Spears 'Radiance'

Now...this next one you might curl your nose up at - but no prejudice! This is Britney Spears' 'Radiance' perfume, and whilst the bottle might not lend itself to marketing the fragrance very well, I absolutely love this scent! The bottle is kind of sweet, and is meant to be 'bejewelled' (hence 'Radiance'...obvs) and this was amazingly cheap for 100ml of fragrance which is actually eau de parfum as well! This actually has a longer staying power than the previous 'Princess' and 'Daisy', and has been created under the Elizabeth Arden brand so the fact that it is good quality doesn't come as too much of a surprise. It's one of her more recent ones having been released in 2010, and is comprised of red berries, tuberose and amber notes. This is great day-to-night fragrance as well, and is very easy to splash on in a morning!

What are some of your favourite fragrances? Do you have any of these too?

xo.

A cheeky MAC visit..!

Hey hey...so, I happened to recently acquire some new MAC goodies I have to show off (obvs)! I only bought two things (such self-restraint) but they're two products I really love..

Firstly is the lipstick. I wasn't really setting out to purchase a new lipstick as I'm not a massive lip colour person, and much prefer a nude lip, WHICH it turns out, is why this product suits me so well! It's exactly the kind of thing I was after, but without knowing it. It's a 'glaze' variety lipstick called 'Hue' and is just a pale baby/nude pink, but as it's a glaze, it applies very sheer and also quite shiny. This is perfect for me as I usually just use the tiniest amount of foundation on my lips (as they are naturally so red) and this lipstick adds a lovely moisturising finish to my everyday look! See the swatch and on-the-lips look below..

Next up is this beautiful shimmer blush named 'Trace Gold'. It's not my first shimmer blush I've had from MAC, but I was excited to try out a new colour. This adds a subtle glow and a nice sheen to my cheeks without being too overpowering (unlike the mineralize skinfinishes). I tried to get a good picture of it on my cheeks but just couldn't get the lighting quite right! This can be applied subtly or built up to create a more dramatic look. I know a lot of people prefer a shimmer blush in the evenings, but this is just right for creating that glowing day time look and is very easy to wear! It looks a lot more shimmery in real life than in this picture (lighting issues!).

What do you think of shimmer blushes and/or a nude lip? Are you a super fan of MAC like myself?!


xo.

Perfume Collection Update: Miss Dior

Sooo.. the latest addition to my perfume collection is probably the most exciting yet - I finally have a bottle of 'Miss Dior'! This perfume has been on the top of my wishlist for SO long now, but it was always that little bit too expensive or seemed that little bit too extravagant to get as a present or buy for myself.. until now!

 I got this for Valentine's Day, and there was a 10% off promotion on in Boots at the time on fragrance which was great, and I also offered to put in £10 to get the 50ml size instead of the 30ml (I know it was my present, but I'd rather contribute a tiny bit to get nearly 50% more!). It's such a feminine fragrance that, in my opinion, is kind of a classic now and coveted by many! It was originally 'Miss Dior Cherie' but got renamed 'Miss Dior' for the modern era, and its original that it stemmed from has now become 'Miss Dior Originale' (the 1947 verison) and is a yellowy colour as opposed to the current 'Miss Dior' which is light pink in colour. 

It was only launched in 2005, which is ridiculous to think as it has accumulated such a cult status after only a few years! I got the eau de parfum version, but I believe there are also eau de toilette and le parfum versions as well. It has essence of Indian patchouli base notes, Arabian jasmine absolute heart notes, and essence of Italian mandarin top notes according to the Dior website. They also use phrases such as "bold and elegant" and "timeless chic", which could be translated as classic, noticeable and feminine, all of which I completely agree with. I'm so pleased I finally have a bottle, and I'm so in love with it already!

The packaging is also really cute; the box is a textured pink cardboard with silver script mimicking the bottle, which is a classic cuboid shape with the same script on it and a silver bow for the lid - adorable! Worth the money (it retails at £64 for 50ml at Boots currently) and one that I know I will buy again and again. 

Have you ever tried Miss Dior? What's your ultimate favourite scent?!

xo.

'Trend' Thrift: Caviar Nails

I'm always on the hunt for the next nail trend, and went through a huge nail art phase last year where I couldn't stop adding patterns, designs and various embellishments to my fingertips! Lately, I have been sticking to good old colour blocking nail-wise (mainly due to a lack of time) with my favourite colours du jour, but the other day I spotted these in Primark and couldn't resist! I've heard a lot about nail caviar already as I'm sure you have, and I'm pretty sure it was beauty brand Ciaté that introduced it to the manicure world. It always seemed quite costly (Ciaté's caviar nail varnish and sets are retailing at between £14-£18 on ASOS currently), and I know other brands have interpreted it but it was still similarly priced all the same. That was until I stumbled across a bargain version in good old Primark - with a £2.50 price tag! There was no excuse not to give it a go with that price sticker on it, and I ended up buying two sets as I couldn't decide on one! There was one more colour that I didn't buy which was a silver polish with pink and silver metallic beads, but I ended up with a pearlised white varnish with white beads, and a hot pink varnish with turquoise, pink and various multi-coloured beads! 

They come fully equipped with varnish, beads, funnel and plastic tray in order to get the look, and the idea is to choose which nail(s) you would like your caviar on and paint them with a couple of coats, but before the second one is dry pour the beads on when hovering over the tray so they simply stick to the wet polish. This is kind of messy so I'd advise doing it on a flat surface! I kind of felt like a kid in a primary school art lesson, but it's quite fun! You then simply put the funnel back in the bead pot, and pour your excess beads back in so you don't waste any.

The nail varnish itself won't be winning any awards any time soon, but it could've been worse. It was quite gloopy and I often find it's hard to make metallics look attractive anyway, so that didn't help! It also took way too long to dry in my opinion - give me Barry M anyday! Of course you can match the beads with whatever colours you would like, and I was thinking a nice on-trend pastel pink (or any pastel) would look really good with these pearly beads. It came out better than I thought it would to be honest, but having had them on for a short while, they're falling off when I do anything remotely vigorous which isn't great, but it was expected! 1; because it's Primark, and 2; I'm atrocious at keeping even the hardest-wearing nail polish chip-free! I'd recommend Primark's efforts to anyone wanting to give the trend a go, but if you're really into it and want a lasting look then I'd say fork out the £14 and get Ciaté's version for the quality!

What do you think of nail caviar? Have you tried it out for yourself before?

xo.