Review: Yardley London | Bluebell Perfume |

Yardley London English Bluebell - £9.99 EDT 50ml - £14.99 EDT 125ml - Deodorising Body Spray £2.49 75ml

You've probably heard of Yardley London before as their Lavender and Rose scents have been popular for years with the older generations. I have of course heard of the brand but had never tried anything as it did seem like the products were focused for an older market. However, Yardley have recently rebranded and refocused on the younger woman, signified by their latest English Bluebell fragrance launch.

English Bluebell Eau de Toilette* is the latest addition to the Contemporary Classics floral collection that launched earlier this year (including English Lavender, English Rose, Lily of the Valley and April Violets) and has a light fragrance that is reflected in the pale blue colour of the perfume.

The packaging is sleek and pretty yet still classic and light enough to pop into your handbag. In terms of scent, the top notes are of bergamot, green notes and cassis and the heart contains bluebell, jasmine, lily of the valley, peony and peach. These sweeter scents definitely focus the perfume to a younger market but the addition of base notes of musk, sandalwood, cedarwood, amber and vanilla give the scent more of a grown up edge. The fragrance is light and sweet, perfect for all occasions in the day.

The Deodarising Body Spray is a great addition and perfect for younger women on the go - I like mine for freshening up after the gym. I found the scent of the spray is actually stronger and longer lasting than the perfume and at only £2.49 for 75ml its a bargain.

You can purchase the new launch at Boots, Superdrug, Lloyds and Sainsburys - coupled with price points of £9.99 for 50ml and £14.99 for 125ml, this perfume is easily accessible for the younger market.

I really enjoyed this perfume and consider it a fresh, light alternative for Autumn than heavy muskier scents. Also do you like my terrarium? We made them at the launch event and I love it!

Have you tried any Yardley London products before? xxx

Scent of the Summer: Estee Lauder | Bronze Goddess Skinscent |

£47 for 100ml

Normally perfumes don't feature over on my little slice of the internet, purely because I am pretty awful at describing scents. When I picked this baby up though I knew I had to spread the word because it is just amazing and you need it in your life for the summer months!!

You might have seen this mentioned in my May favourites video but I thought Bronze Goddess deserved a post of its own. With a heart of golden amber and notes of coconut milk, vanilla, lemon, sicilian bergamot, jasmine and magnolia petals to name a few, this scent evokes all those dreamy summer memories: sun cream, the seaside, palm trees, cocktails on holidays, a soft summer breeze... I think you get the gist. It also comes in a shimmering version too which looks beaut!

It is actually the first perfume that I have bought myself as I normally receive them as gifts, which says a lot in itself, and although it is expensive I think the amount you get and the design of the bottle is well worth the money. The gold translucent packaging and the fine spray really upholds the luxury of the Lauder name and reflects the fact it is a summer scent. I think the only downside is that it doesn't have the best staying power so you do have to reapply regularly throughout the day. The fact it is a limited edition fragrance which is only available from April until stocks last also makes it a must have for me - is anyone else like that? When I hear limited edition I seem to hand over my bank card a little too easily!

Other products in the Bronze Goddess range that I have my eye on are the large bronzer and the self tanning lotion for the face. The essence of this post is: you need this in your life!

Apologies for the terrible pictures but the nature of the bottle makes it very hard to photograph, plus it has been knocking about in my handbag...!

Have you tried anything from the Bronze Goddess range? Do you have a favourite summer scent? xxx

The Fragrance Shop | Discovery Club |

Discovery Club Box* // £5 per quarter //

I've always thought the concept of beauty boxes are great and there are so many different types on the market now ranging from high end, teen and even eco boxes. So when I was contacted by the Fragrance Shop to try out their version of a beauty box I jumped at the chance. They have named it the Discovery Club* and included in the 3rd Edition were 6 samples of newly launched fragrances, 2 of which were for men which was great to pass on to Matt, and money off vouchers for each perfume all for just £5 each quarter.

The box is smart and compact and the samples are housed in matching dark blue tissue paper which I thought made it feel more luxurious. I'm rubbish at describing scents myself so will give you a quick low down of the women's perfumes I received, their costs, the key notes which are mentioned and what I thought.

1. Thierry Mugler - Alien Aqua Chic:  Top note of orange blossom, heart of pink grapefruit and lemon tree blossom and base notes of amber and jasmine. I thought this was a lovely light version of the popular original, which lingers for ages and makes it more suitable for day. I really liked the scent of this and have put it on my wish list! £39.50 // 60ml

2. Loewe - Quizas Quizas Quizas Pasion: Inspired by the tango, it is meant to be a fruity and romantic fragrance. Top notes of bergamot and mandarin, hearts of magnolia, freesia and orange flower and base notes of cashmere wood, amber and vetiver make it a complex mix of scents. I was surprised at how light and floral this turned out to be as from the description I thought it would be quite heavy. This smells more grown up and would be lovely to wear on holiday. I really liked this one too which was a nice surprise as I hadn't heard of the brand before. £36.50 // 30ml - £51.50 // 50ml - £71.50 // 100ml

3. Elvis Jesus - Eau de Toilette: Unlike the other samples, this one didn't come with a diffuser, which was quite annoying. It was different to the other samples as it was a bit more earthy with top notes of grapefuit, chery, bergamot and peppermint, heart notes of rose, jasmine and lily of the valley and base notes of cedar, coumarin, amber, vanilla, tonka and leather. It was nice and different but I wouldn't purchase it myself. £38.50 // 50ml - £48.50 // 100ml

4. Mont Blanc - Legend Pour Femme: This sample was fruity and light with top notes of neroli, crunchy pear and bitter orange, heart notes of orange blossom, lily of the valley and Indian jasmine and base notes of musk, vanilla and blond woods. I quite liked this as it was different to something I would normally go for and it isn't too expensive. £28.50 // 30ml - £44.50 // 50ml

I'm normally quite sentimental with perfumes so don't have a huge collection but the samples have been great at introducing me to some new scents I wouldn't normally consider. The Discovery Club is a lovely service which is perfect for those of you who have a passion for perfume and are keen on trying new things. It is great value for money, especially with the inclusion of the vouchers and suitable for both men and women. The 4th Edition has just launched, so will you be testing it out? xxx

All Used Up #4

Apologies for the awful quality of photos but the lighting wasn't my friend and I ended up having to use the flash on my camera. Anyway onto the empties...

001. Sure Deodrant: Pretty standard and unglamorous but Sure is my fave brand and actually works.

002. Aussie Dual Personality Hi-Hold and Hi-Shine Hairspray: This smells amazing and has pretty good hold, without being sticky. I wouldn't say it gave much shine though. I would maybe repurchase if it was on offer.

003. Bed Head Control Freak: I've been using this up for ages (shampoos seem to take me a while!) and although I loved the smell of pineapple I didn't see much in terms of frizz control. I probably need to use this with the conditioner and styling products to get the most out of it so I can't give too much of a fair judgement.

004. Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Colour Insurance: This is one of my holy grail items and has been repurchased time and time again. Smells divine as do all Aussie products and leaves my hair soft, nourished and shiny.

005. Batiste Dry Shampoo: My dry shampoo of choice they are an actual life saver and will always repurchase. My favourite scent is wild but these are lovely too.

006. Pantene Repair and Protect Serum: I havn't actually used this up but have chosen to throw it away as it doesn't do anything and have been told by hairdressers that Pantene is awful for your hair by masking the problems by coating your hair, in turn making it lank and lifeless.

007. Maybelline Colossal Volume Mascara: This was nice but I'm never really faithful to one mascara and am loving L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes at the moment.

008. MaxFactor Masterpiece Max Mascara: A lovely mascara, I really enjoyed using this. I've discovered their 2000 Calorie one though which does pretty much the same job for a bit less money.

009. Diesel Fuel for Life Perfume: I'm so sad this has finished! I've had it for years and really stretched it out when it was near the end. A lovely scent which is quite heavy, it was something completely different in my perfume collection. I would repurchase this but do have the body lotion to last me a while :)

010. Maybelinne Salon Manicure Top Coat: This was ok - it produced a nice shine but didn't help with the longevity of my polish. It also became gloopy quite quickly and the design of the bottle is rubbish as the brush couldn't reach half the product. I wouldn't repurchase.

011. Jessica Base Coat: This was lovely and part of a mini polish set I got a while back as a gift. I really love the quality of Jessica polishes and think more people should try them out.

There were some standard empties this time around like the dry shampoo and mascaras (I seem to go through tubes of the stuff) and also some well loved products I was sad to see the end of. What have you finished recently? xxx

Wishlist Wednesday #2

Benefit Confessions of a Concealaholic: In my opinion, the beauty kits from Benefit are always the best value for money products that they offer. You always get a good selection of mostly good size products and they are great for when there are things you want to try out without splashing out on a full size. I've been eyeing up this little kit for ages, although I recently purchased the Erasepaste in duty free I have been wanting to try out the other products included, especially the 'That Gal' primer, and it is great for travel. 

Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturiser in Nude: I don't actually own any products just yet by Laura Mercier as they are a bit on the pricey side, but they have always appealed to me and I have never heard or seen a bad review about any of the products. Recently I've been ditching foundation for BB creams so want to branch out into the field of tinted moisturisers aswell to see if I can find something that suits me. This product really appeals to me because of the packaging, the fact it is oil free and because it has an added SPF. This is really near the top of my wishlist!

My Booky Wook by Russel Brand: This could be considered a bit of a random choice, especially as the book has been out for a while! As it is now summer I have the time to indulge in reading for pleasure rather than for my degree, and I havn't read an autobiography for a while so this would be a good choice for an a relaxing read.

MAC Pro Amplified Creme Lipstick in Show Orchid: This is another product that is really high on my wishlist, although I think it was limited edition and so a bit harder to get hold off. I love all lip products including glosses, lipsticks, balms and butters and have recently been lusting after many different brands and colours! However, this one is really near the top as it is such a 'me' colour and I have seen a few beauty bloggers wearing it and think it is gorgeous! Plus I don't own any MAC lipsticks (I know, it's a bit ridiculous for a beauty blogger to not own any!) so this would be a lovely first purchase. I think I should probably get myself down to a MAC counter and buy some other lipsticks right now after that confession! Any suggestions for some good colours?

Vera Wang Princess Night Perfume: I got the original Vera Wang princess for my birthday 2 years ago after putting it on my list because I liked the bottle! I did however love the scent too so that was a bonus haha. I'm running out of it now though so wanted to try a different variation of the scent and again this bottle looks so pretty and is one of the main factors I picked it! 

What do you think of my wishlist? Are there any suggestions you can give me? xxx

Wishlist Wednesday

Diorshow Blackout Mascara: Mascaras are one of my beauty staples and having a good quality one is important. At the moment I'm a big fan of Maxfactor for drugstore mascaras but I would like to splash out on a high end one to see if it really is worth spending more. Are there any better high end ones you would recommend?

Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb perfume: This is just a lovely scent and as I am running out of perfumes this would be a nice one to replace them.

MAC Viva Glam Gaga Lipstick: Pink lipsticks are my favourite and I need a new light pink. I've heard great things about MAC lipsticks so would like to try this one out to see if it lives up to the hype.

Benefit High Beam: I had one of these a couple of years ago and would like to repurchase it sometime soon to compare it to my Soap and Glory Hocus Focus. Expect to see a comparison post when I purchase it!

Lipsy Thread Chain Charm Watch: I love Lipsy, charm bracelets and pink so having a product with all these together is totally me! I think this is really pretty and cute and great for every day wear.

What are your opinions on these products? xxx