My 2016 perfumes!

My final post of the year is always about the year's perfumes that I have acquired.

I have just 5 fragrance releases from 2016.

I have the Marc Jacobs Daisy Blush range; Daisy Blush, Daisy Eau So Fresh Blush and Daisy Dream Blush.

I also got Vera Wang's Princess Revolution.

Also Jimmy Choo Illicit Flower.

In 2017 Marc Jacobs are due to release a new set of Daisy limited editions called the Daisy Kiss collection.

I am excited to try them out and they will inevitably end up in my collection.

There is also another Vera Wang Princess fragrance coming out called Princess Of Hearts which I will also probably be getting hold of. I have a real soft spot for the Princess line and I am disappointed that they stopped releasing the 100ml sized bottles. Since Pink Princess was released in 2013 the fragrances have only been released in 30ml and 50ml bottles. I don't think the scents are as good as those released prior to 2013 if I'm honest, but I still look forward to trying this one!

I haven't been too excited by the fragrances released in 2016. Hopefully 2017 will see some exciting fragrance releases. We will have to wait and see.

December Favourites 2016

This month I have been loving all of these lovely goodies.

I love Yankee's Raspberry Sundae candle. I got a gift set with 6 votives in for Christmas last year and I still hadn't burned this one. It smells delicious.

I opened my EOS lemon drop lip balm this month because my previous EOS lip balm was coming to an end and wow! I absolutely love the lemon drop one. It is my favourite that I have used so far. It has a lovely lemon scent and the consistency is great; smooth, forming a protective barrier on my lips to prevent them from drying out.

This month was the first time I have ever used Original Source's mango shower gel and I absolutely love it. The scent is amazing!

I have been wearing Andrea Fulerton's Gemstone Overcoat over the top of dark red nails during the Christmas period. I only ever get this overcoat out around Christmas. It is impossible to find in the shops now and my bottle is just under half full so I am dreading running out. I have had it for a good few years and have looked online for similar products but all of the products that this has been compared to seem to be no longer available either!

I have been using Champney's Exotic Retreat Body Glow which is a lovely fine body scrub. It smells really nice and leaves my skin so soft.

For Christmas I bought Vera Wang's Lovestruck and Lovestruck Floral Rush for members of my family, which encouraged me to reach for mine. I have been wearing Lovestruck a lot this month and I absolutely love it!

I wouldn't usually put a drink in my favourites but Shloer deserves a mention. It is the only non-alcoholic drink worth wasting calories on. I had Shloer white grape with my Christmas dinner, but I have been buying Shloer Light white grape which tastes the same to me and has 22 calories per 100ml. Stevia leaf extract is the sweetener in it. I love it!

My final favourite is my tourmaline ring set with three stones. I wore this all the time towards the beginning of the month. I almost lost it in a hotel room so I am extra grateful for it now!

A Few Of My 2016 Christmas Gifts!

I was spoilt yet again this Christmas.

Here are just a few of the gifts I received.

I got a tube of Yankee wax tarts which I am delighted with. I can't wait to melt my favourite, which is Snowflake Cookie.

I got a cute Burt's Bees gift set with two lip balms and hand salve in a gorgeous glass pot. I thought this was a really cute gift.

I shrieked with excitement when I opened my box of Thorntons Coffee Creams. I didn't know you could buy a box with just coffee creams in and I love them.

My sister kindly surprised me with Armani Diamonds, which I have discovered to be a gorgeous fragrance!

I got my favourite moisturiser which is Clinique's Moisture Surge Intense Skin Fortifying Hydrator. I am really pleased because I had completely ran out of it.

I also got a goody bag of Avon products including this gorgeous pomegranate and mango scented body spray which is so fresh and fruity. I love it!

Perfume Haul!

I have bought loads of fragrance in the past few weeks.

Here are the 4 latest additions to my collection.

Chloe's Roses de Chloe is lovely. I'm a huge fan of rose in fragrances and this one is done really well. It is an eau de toilette so it is lighter and more short-lived than the original Chloe eau de parfum.

Vera Wang Bouquet is a fragrance that was introduced in 2008. I have been keen to get my hands on it for a long time. It is sweet and floral, but it has a crisp cleanness to it.

Juicy Couture's Couture La La Malibu was a 2013 release along with Juicy Couture Malibu. I liked this one more than Juicy Couture Malibu, but ended up buying Juicy Couture Malibu first and never getting round to buying this one.. until now. The fragrance is a light and fresh summer scent; fruity, but not overly sweet. I love the chunky glass bottle as well. Juicy Couture have great perfume bottles.

Last but not least is Jimmy Choo Illicit Flower. As soon as I tried the tester of this fragrance I knew I had to have it. It is light and fresh with sweet notes of mandarin combined with floral notes of jasmine and rose.

November Favourites 2016

This month I have been using Along Came Betty Hands That Do Wishes Dry Hands Lotion in peach and apricot, which is such a lovely scent. Along Came Betty is a brand by Tesco.

I finally got round to using my Bomb Cosmetics Free Spirit soap which is really pretty and I love it.

Carex's chocolate orange scented hand wash had become really difficult to find, but I managed to get hold of a bottle at the beginning of this month. I'd forgotten how good it smells. I really want to try the Carex strawberry laces hand sanitiser, which I have seen online, but not in the shops.

Marc Jacobs Decadence has been my most popular fragrance this month. I absolutely love it. It smells great, has good projection and lasts all day.

I have been wearing my 1 carat diamond ring a lot this month. It has two bands of channel set diamonds between three bands of round cut diamonds and it is 9ct gold. I have had it for a few years. It really glistens in the light.

I got my Disney Winnie The Pooh 'Fly Me To The Moon' pyjamas the Christmas before last and have worn the bottoms a lot but I don't usually wear the top as it is a t-shirt and I always prefer not to wear sleeves, but I have been wearing the full set more lately and the top is actually really comfortable. I love Disney pyjamas! I've bought (and been bought) some lovely sets as gifts over the years.

I have been using Alberto Balsam's mandarin and papaya shampoo this month. The scent is amazing. I was obsessed with this shampoo a few years ago and haven't bought this one for a while. I suspect I'll be buying more again soon. I also love their blueberry scented shampoo.

I absolutely love this Sanctuary Brightening Facial Radiance Exfoliator. It makes my skin feel brand new. It really feels like a deep clean. I think I have loved every product I have ever tried by this brand, but this exfoliator especially.

Black Friday Week Haul

I've done a lot of my Christmas shopping in the past week although a lot of it was toys and tech.
I have been bombarded with emails from retailers who have had week-long sales for 'Black Friday'.

I bought this cute Joules body care tin in Boots. I think the tin and all of the packaging is gorgeous. This was £10.00.

I was specifically looking for a set of soaps and I spotted this Joules soap set which I absolutely love and ended up buying twice. These were £8.00.

I also bought Vera Wang Lovestruck Floral Rush which, in case you hadn't guessed, is a favourite of mine. I always gift perfumes. I know not everyone thinks fragrance is a good present as people's tastes differ but I love receiving perfume as a gift and I know a lot of my family and friends do too.
I think Vera Wang fragrances make great gifts as they usually have fun packaging which is always a bonus. My bottle of the original Lovestruck was a gift and I was delighted with it. 

I was hunting for gifts when I came across Panache Mademoiselle parfum de toilette online. I was intrigued as I am a huge fan of the original Panache fragrance and I'd never heard of this one before so I ended up ordering it as a gift, but I had to order one for myself of course to try it out!
I looked up some reviews and it is supposed to be completely different to the original Panache. It is more of a floral fruity scent. I'm excited to try this one.

On the subject of gifts to myself I also bought Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, which has been on my list for a while.

I also bought myself this boohoo Lara sweetheart neck skater dress in ivory on sale for just £6.00. I have this dress in so many different colours now. I mentioned it in a blog post a few months ago. It is a great fit and very flattering.

I also ended up buying another pair of black corduroy trousers from Matalan identical to the pair I already have which I mentioned in a post a few months ago. I have worn them so much adnd they are so comfortable. I wanted another pair so I have two pairs to take on a trip abroad with me so I can avoid wearing my less comfortable jeans!

How I'd Spend £500.00 in Debenhams!

If I had £500.00 to blow in Debenhams here is how I would do it.

I'd start off with Marc Jacobs Divine Decadence. The 100ml eau de parfum is £96.00. I love the original Decadence. I wore it yesterday and could smell it all day!

Next I would pick up Too Faced Candlelight glow powder for £25.00.

I would buy two new MAC make-up brushes; MAC 239 eyeshader brush for £21.00 and MAC 227 large fluff brush £23.50.

I would try Kat Von D's Studded Kiss lipstick for £16.00. I'm not a huge fan of the packaging. It looks rather bulky but look at the cute little Kat Von D logo on the lipstick and how nice is the colour in the picture?

I don't think I've ever bought clothes from Wallis before but they have loads of lovely stuff at the minute. This gorgeous, berry top is £35.00.

MAC's dusky rose eyeshadow palette is just £25.00 which I think is amazing value.

If £500.00 doesn't make itself available for me to blow I will be putting Clinique's Moisture Surge Intense Skin Fortifying Hydrator on my Christmas list. It is £34.00 for 50ml. I had a 15ml sample of this a while ago and loved it!

Tom Ford's White Patchouli is £108.00 for 100ml. It is another long lasting scent and it has been on my want list for years.

I would also get myself a Clinique chubby stick intense moisturising lip colour balm for £17.50.

Another purchase I would make would be Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Repair Serum for £72.00.

I also love this cute Red Herring white pompom hat which is only £8.00.

My final purchase would be this Miss Selfridge gingham pink/cream/camel scarf, which is £16.00 and takes my total spend to £497.00.

I think that would be £497.00 well spent!

Marc Jacobs Daisy Shine Editions!

A few days ago I spotted this Daisy Shine range by Marc Jacobs.

There is Daisy Shine Gold, Daisy Shine Pink and Daisy Shine Red.

The fragrances are all the same as the original Daisy and they are eau de parfums.

The composition combines strawberry, violet leaf, pink grapefruit, gardenia, violet, jasmine petals, white woods, vanilla and musk.

It is a light, fresh, uplifting scent. I used to spray the eau de toilette on just before going to sleep.

I love the Daisy range and have all of the previous releases.

There is the original eau de toilette with the white daisy petals on the lid of the bottle. This was the first Daisy release back in 2007.

The original eau de parfum came in a black bottle with gold daisies, which came out the following year, 2008.

The fragrances that followed were all limited editions.

Daisy Bloom was released in 2009.

Daisy Garland was released in 2010.

Daisy Pop Art came in a red bottle which was released in 2010.

Daisy Hot Pink was released in 2011.

Daisy Silver was released in 2009.

Daisy Sunshine was released in 2013.

Daisy Delight was released in 2014.

Daisy Sorbet was released in 2015.

Daisy Blush was released in early 2016.

There is also the Daisy Eau So Fresh range which I have also collected.

There is Daisy Eau So Fresh which is the only one that is not a limited edition. It was released in 2011 and is still very popular.

Daisy Eau So Fresh Sunshine was released in 2013 at the same time as Daisy Sunshine and another fragrance called Oh Lola! Sunsheer.

Daisy Eau So Fresh Delight was released in 2014 along with Daisy Delight.

Daisy Eau So Fresh Sorbet was part of the 2015 collection along with Daisy Sorbet.

Daisy Eau So Fresh Blush was released in 2016 along with Daisy Blush and Daisy Dream Blush.

Daisy Dream was released on its own in 2014 and was followed in 2015 by Daisy Dream Forever, the only difference in the bottle was blue daisies instead of white. Then Daisy Dream Blush was released along with Daisy Blush and Daisy Eau So Fresh Blush in 2016.

I am a bit obsessed with Marc Jacobs fragrances but I feel like they are getting too greedy now and I can't keep up with them all as they're coming out.

I wouldn't mind one of the new Daisy Shine bottles, but I'm undecided on which colour I'd choose. 

October 2016 Favourites!

This month I have had two go-to fragrances. I have been using Nina Ricci's Ricci Ricci Dancing Ribbon eau de parfum and Reem Acra's eau de parfum.

Ricci Ricci Dancing Ribbon is slowly overtaking Ricci Ricci as my favourite Nina Ricci fragrance.

Reem Acra's eau de parfum is another lovely scent for the autumn/winter months. Out of the two fragrances I think I have used Reem Acra most often this month.

I have also been loving Soap And Glory's Glam-A-Lot body spray which is another great scent. I think this is quite difficult to get hold of now which is a shame.

My brown New Look boots are back on my favourites list. I still absolutely love them! I love the cutouts and the chunky heel and they are really comfortable.

I adore my silver tourmaline ring which is full of autumnal colours. Sometimes I can't stop staring at it.

I tried Carex's Love Hearts hand wash for the first time this month and I am really impressed. I love unique scents like this and it really does smell like Love Hearts.

My bottle green boohoo skater dress has been my dress of choice this month. I love the colour and the fit!

I have been using Avon's glimmerstick eyeliner in blackest black and I am pretty pleased with it.

H&M autumn/winter picks

H&M sent me their catalogue showing off their autumn/winter range.

I love this chunky chunky knitted forest green jumper. I love the neckline and the knit pattern.

It also comes in beige marl, grey marl and light beige. I quite like the grey one as well.

I love these thick, cosy looking scarves as well.

I really do love all of them but if I could only choose one I'd go for the brown and yellow checked one at the top.

They also have a good range of boots in lots of different colours and heel options. My favourite are the dark brown leather ones at the bottom.

October Want List!

There are plenty of items on my want list at the minute.

I really want to get my hands on Becca's Champagne Pop highlighter. It has great reviews and from what I have seen it is really good.

I'm also keen to get my very own bottle of Jimmy Choo Illicit Flower. I tried it out recently and fell in love with it straight away. I love all of the fragrances Jimmy Choo have released so far.

I don't intend to stop going on about Bath And Body Works's Caramel Pumpkin Swirl candle. I tried it out two years ago and I always wished I had bought it. I'm glad they release it every year!

I have also wanted to try Charlotte Tilbury's K.I.S.S.I.N.G. lipstick for a long time. There are so many nice shades.

I love these chunky heels from Christian Louboutin. The shape of the shoe is gorgeous and they look very autumnal. I want these!

I spotted this scarf from Oasis on their website! I think the checks and it looks lovely and cosy.

Irregular Choice Choices!

Nothing much has caught my eye from Irregular Choice recently which is lucky for my bank balance.

I had a browse on their website today and picked out a few of their interesting designs.

I quite like Savan which is this swan design although I couldn't imagine actually wearing these shoes myself. It is one of their better ideas for a wacky heel.

Rows Garden is another stand out shoe that caught my eye with this huge colourful floral design although, again, not one that will make it into my collection.

I would love these Bunnie Love shoes if it wasn't for the bunny ears on the front and the bob tail on the back. I love the colour of the shoes and the purple hearts on the side, but I can't get away with shoes pretending to be an animal. I'm not a fan of the designs with animal's faces on either.

These Elle Gant shoes are more like it. I like the floral design and the colour although the gems on the front do look a bit cheap I think I would actually wear these ones.

These Aurora shoes are lovely. Not too over the top and not too busy but they still make a statement.

I quite like these blue shoes, High Hopes. I like the different fabrics and the block heel, but I'm not a huge fan of all the imprints on the back of the heel.

I don't think I am being too fussy I just think I preferred some of their styles from the past. There are hundreds of designs on the website, but there is nothing that I feel like I really need to add to my collection. I'll still continue to check their website for new designs. I like to see what they bring out even if I don't wish to add it to my collection.

September Favourites!

These are the items I've been loving in September!

I love my cobalt blue dress from boohoo.com. The colour and the fit are gorgeous and it can easily be dressed up or down.

I find that Avon lipsticks can often be too shimmery and I recently went through all my lipsticks and found this one had never been used. The shade is called Divine Wine and there is no shimmer in it. It is a dark purple colour, but it doesn't look unnatural. I love it!

I've been loving my new handbag from H&M. It is a good size and it looks really smart. I have had large handbags before, but not with such a rigid shape to them so I am still getting used to this one.

I have rediscovered my MUA Undressed palette and I love it. I have been using my matte eyeshadows a lot recently so it's good to bring some shimmer back and I love the golds and browns in this palette.

I finally bought Garnier's oil-infused Micellar water this month and it is great for removing, even waterproof, make-up with no rubbing or scrubbing. I'm really pleased with this.

I have been using Sanctuary Spa's body scrub this month. I love the scent of it and it leaves my skin feeling lovely and soft.

My favourite Impulse body spray currently available is Sweet Smile. It has a scent of pear and jasmine and this has been my body spray of choice for September.

Chanel No 5 L'Eau

This month has seen the release of Chanel No5 L'Eau; a light and fresh interpretation of the original No 5 introduced to appeal to a younger, modern audience.

I love Chanel No 5. I have had the eau de toilette and I am currently using the eau de parfum. The problem with No 5 for me is that I find that it doesn't last very long and I never notice it on myself when I am wearing it.

The new release confused me a bit because there was a fragrance released a few years ago, No 5 Eau Premiere, which was a modern interpretation on No 5 which was lighter and fresher so what is the difference between No 5 L'Eau and No 5 Eau Premiere?

I managed to get to a tester of No 5 L'Eau today and I found it to very nice. It is quite similar to No 5 Eau Premiere.
It is less aldehydic than No 5 and No 5 Eau Premiere and it has a light, fresh, citrusy scent. Citrusy scents aren't always my thing, but you can count on Chanel fragrances to get it right. It is definitely a modern scent and I think it could be a distant relative of Chanel Chance with its sophisticated floral notes.

The fragrance notes in No 5 L'Eau are lemon, mandarin, orange, neroli, aldehydes, rose, ylang-ylang, jasmine, cedar and white musk.

The staying power has not improved for this offering, but I do think it's worth checking out.

A Few Autumn Purchases!

I finally bought some more gel nail polishes from Avon which I think are great. They last a lot longer than normal nail polishes without chipping.

I bought 4 different colours; Moondust, Very Berry, Rain Washed and Dazzle Pink.

So far I have tried Rain Washed and Very Berry. Very Berry is the colour I have on at the minute. In the bottle it looks a deep pink colour but it looks a dark, cherry red colour on my nails.

I was also pleasantly surprised last week when I wandered into Matalan. It's been a while since I have been in. It isn't somewhere I think to go when I'm looking for clothes as the stores are usually out of town, but I was passing so I went in and I found these lovely black corduroy trousers. I love them.

I also spotted this lovely 'shawl kimono' in wine/grey.

I also bought a new handbag at the weekend as I'm tired of not having a big enough bag. I love my new bag. It is a great size! I got it from H&M.

Autumn Is Coming - Bath And Body Works And Yankee Candles

September is one of my favourite months of the year! Although it is not technically autumn until 22nd September this year I am pretending it is autumn and have already started burning an apple cinnamon candle.

I'm still desperate to get my hands on Bath and Body Works's Caramel Pumpkin Swirl candle.

Bath And Body Works have so many different pumpkin scented candles in their range, but unfortunately they are not available here in the UK.

I'd like to try all of these scents.

Yankee's UK website do not have any pumpkin scented candles which is really disappointing and they only have five different scents in their 'autumn favourites' section of the website including Home Sweet Home, Mandarin Cranberry and Spiced Orange all of which sound lovely.

I tend to burn the majority of my candles in the autumn and winter and rarely bother through the spring and summer. I started burning a wax tart in February and I still haven't got through it. It's a shame that Yankee aren't making a bigger deal of autumn!

More Boohoo Buys!

The dress I ordered from boohoo.com arrived and is a fab fit and the skirt is gorgeous on it. 

I ended up ordering it in a few more colours!
I got navy blue.

Purple

And green.

I love them all and am tempted by the red and black ones as well.

 

I get annoyed with myself when I end up buying the same item in more than one colour as it does seem a bit silly having the same item in every colour ever made, but these dresses are so nice and I should get plenty of wear out of them.

I bought another dress from boohoo.com as well.
How gorgeous is this Clea bardot strap plunge high low skater dress?! It looks amazing in this colour which is called apricot, but I bought it in black as I thought I'd wear a black dress more. If it fits well when it arrives I might end up buying it in apricot as well.