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?

Balance Me Body Wash + Bon Voyage Competition

Balance Me are British run family company who have frequented the skincare market for around 9 years. They are one of the brands I absolutely love the products of and are infact the brand who managed to convince me that as someone with combination skin which leans towards the oily side, I could use a facial oil and not end up with greasier looking skin.

Over the past year I have tried a lot of Balance Me products and am yet to find one I don't like. The photographs below just some of the products I have tried:

So yes as you can see, I am a bit of a fan!

The latest releases from Balance Me introduces reformulated sulphate free body washes - Rose Otto, Super Moisturising and Super Toning have also had their packaging remodelled so it is now much sleeker and more hi-tech looking to compliment the reformulation.

So what does all that mean?  Essentially as the brand as Sian Jones the Balance Me Director and Aromatherapist states "We have improved the formulation to increase out natural surfactant to make then even more luxurious on the skin with a thick consistency and more naturally foaming"  so they are now more skin friendly.  Many cosmetic companies use sulphates in their products to help them create a lather, but the effects can be harsh on the skin and cause irritations such as a dryness and can strip the skin of its natural oils.  As part of the Balance Me philosophy, they try to omit any ingredient that they believe has question marks surrounding its composition and prefer instead to formulate products using natural alternatives.

I was very kindly sent the Super Moisturising Body Wash** which is this amazing bright yellow coloured tube, it definitely catches your attention in the morning when your half asleep and in the shower!

The body wash is described as being:

Perfect for: Soothing, smoothing and protecting parched or sensitive skin.

Key benefits: We’ve used four natural active skin enhancers to guarantee long-lasting softness and suppleness. Softening benzoin, calming yarrow and patchouli, plus essential fatty acid and vitamin-rich shea butter work together to gently soften and protect skin.

This body wash is most definitely as it is described - super moisturising, it lathers exceptionally well onto my beloved natural sea sponge and as soon as it comes into contact with water it begins to lather.  The scent is also amazing, it wakes you up, alerts your senses and lingers on your skin all day with the patchouli being the dominant scent, it smells very luxurious.

‘Beauty Voyage’ Balance Me Competition

But bloggers how would you like the chance to win youself a Balance Me Product? Well the lovely people over at Balance Me are  inviting you to take snaps of your favourite Balance Me products and submit them with the #balancemehome or #balancemeaway hashtag! The competition is running over July & August and the best images picked each week to win Balance Me prizes.  You can find more information on Twitter and Facebook.

Have you tried anything from Balance Me?  
What is your favourite product?