Fragrance Club Discovery Box - Autumn Winter 2014

I am a huge perfume fan, love it and I am one of those people who loves perfume samples. What better way to decide whether or not you like the scent of something? We do it with make-up, so why not perfume? Back in April 2013 I brought to my blog a new subcription box from The Fragrance Shop Discovery Club which you can see HERE and again in June which is HERE and then September which is HERE, then the final box of 2013 HERE if you didn’t see it. Already in 2014 I have had the spring edition which you can find HERE and the summer edition which is HERE.

For those of you not in the know this is the description of the box, which is a subscription:

"If you love fragrance, then you'll love our Discovery Club.

Our exciting new club allows you to explore the very latest fragrance launches from the comfort of your own home. For just £5 per quarter, each edition comes with fragrance samples for you to try, details on each of the fragrances included, as well as discount vouchers so you can make some big savings on all the scents featured."

This quarter I have the Autumn Winter Edition 2014 which includes both male and female scents and this is what is in the box:

So inside the box as you can see there is:

Jean Paul Gaultier Classique Intense, which is an update on the original Classique fragrance. The new scent is more vivacious, intensive, oriental and solar, containing notes of tiare, pomegranate and gourmand accords at the top, with the heart of orange blossom, rose and jasmine and the base of patchouli and vanilla.

I have to admit I do like this, I didn't want too though, there is something about Jean Paul Gaultier which annoys me.  This scent contains a lot of my favourite scents - Rose, Jasmine, Orange Blossom and thankfully the Vanilla is over the top headache-making.

Kenzo Jeu d'Amour celebrates the romantic lovers game with an ultra-feminine, sensual and captivating fragrance. While notes of tea, mandarin and pomegranate set the mood, tuberose and freesia sign an ultra-feminine floral heart over a sensual base of musks and creamy sandalwood.

I actually really like this once it has settled on my skin. It is so delicate and floral you cannot help but love it.  One that I am tempted to purchase.

Loewe Quizás Seducción. Representing seductive sexiness, Quizás Seducción has a fruity-floral aphrodisiac quality. Top notes of blackberry, passion fruit and sweet orange give way to elegant sambac jasmine with strong tuberose and orange blossom. Base notes include caramel and vanilla.

I am currently not a fan of this scent, it smells nice until it hits my skin where it then smells horrid which is a shame because it has all the ingredients of being a lovely scent.

Loewe Aura Eau de Toilette. The scent represents feminine mystery and magnetism. A relaxed and carefree force that is inescapably alluring. Loyal to the past, loyal to the present, loyal to Loewe. A fresh floral and fruity Eau de Toilette.

I can't decide whether I like this or not, it is one of those fragrances which leaves me sitting on the fence.  It is nice, but I doubt I would buy it, though I would be happy if someone else bought it for me.

For the men folk we have:

Jimmy Choo MAN -  This masculine fragrance is a woody aromatic fougère. Top notes of lavender and mandarin spray are softened by the fruity notes of honeydew melon, followed by heart notes of pink pepper and geranium mixed with pineapple leaf. Finally the fragrance unveils a lasting print of patchouli, suede and ambery woods.

I really don't like this and I should do because it again contains all the ingredients I really like the scent of, but there is just something about it which is really just not for me, not that I would be wearing it, but isn't one I would buy for someone else.

So this quarter has produced a really interesting box again, one or two perfumes I would want to buy and some I most definitely would not.  The thing I do like about these boxes is that I get to sample the products at home. I can wear then to work, around the house, going for coffee with friends or just shopping.  I am not trying them in a department store where I can be easily influenced to part with money for a scent I am not totally sure of.  That said, the spring box did lead to my buying Valentino Uomo for Beautykinguk who has written his own version of what he thinks of the fragrance on his own blog.

So what do you think to this quarters box? Are there any perfume samples you like the sound of?

Glossybox October - Popart edition

This month's Glossybox was to be a Pop-art edition and if you saw my Instagram, you will have seen my excitement about the outer packaging!  Inside the box was just amazing and it is fair to say that I absolutely love this box and it is one I will not be throwing away.

As usual there was one spoiler which everyone would get within their box and it is a 50ml Nuxe Masque Creme Fraiche, which is a full sized product worth £19.50.  The masque is said to quench the thirst of the driest skin types to leave your face feeling smooth and moisturised] not to mention radiant.


Next in the box was a full size Ciate nail polish.  I got the shade Ditch in heels' which is a mint green colour, not one I will be using sadly, but watch out for it in a giveaway.  

Rimmel Matte BB cream is next in shade light and it has an SPF 15 which I like and I actually quite like the BB Cream, the colour is almost perfect for my skin tone, I just need to buff a little extra after applying and it gives a really nice feel to the skin, not to mention is great for covering my oily patches!  This is an 8ml sample which is an alright size, you get to use it for a few days before deciding whether or not you want to purchase a full sized tube which costs £6.99 from Boots for 30ml.

So Susan is next, i'm not sure what it is about these products but I start off liking them and then within days come to dislike them.  In my box was a flutter mascara in black and it has an RRP £14.99. Described as being an intense carbon-black mascara formulated with hyaluronic spheres to help you achieve the darkest, curviest lashes possible. The long brush with extra stiff bristles helps to achieve voluminous, multi-dimensional lashes in just one coat. Suitable for contact lens wearers.  We'll see, I can't say I am over-excited about it, but I do love mascara and will give it a try.

Etre Belle comes next, a brand ive never heard of but a product that intrigues me because it is called a Liplift peel which is given the following description "Up to 54% more lip volume and smoothing wrinkles without injections. Pure hyaluronic microspheres smooth quickly and effectively deep wrinkles around the lips and restructure the lip volume. The lip contour is replenished and redefined". Well worth giving it a go and as a full sized product it is worth around £10

The final product is a perfume sample, which I am a fan of in general, especially when they come in actual cute bottles.  From Yves Rocher this is called Quelques Notes d'Amour and it is very very floral, one of those perfumes that you only need the tiniest amount of before you over do it and give yourself a headache.  Possibly not the scent for me, but more for my Mam who would love it, infact it is winging its way to her, so hopefully she does like it.

So there you have my box.  I actually think this is one of the better ones that I have seen floating around and although I wouldn't use everything within in box, I like that I have some new products to play around with.

So what do you think to this box? Good or Bad?

Birchbox Supporting CoppaFeel!

I have just received the October box for Birchbox and it is absolutely fantastic again this month! Supporting CoppaFeel!, whom if you haven't read the few posts ive done about them here is a little background to them. 

CoppaFeel! aims to stamp out late detection and misdiagnosis of breast cancer by ensuring that people know that signs and symptoms of breast cancer, know what their boobs look and feel like normally, check their boobs regularly throughout their lifetime and have the confidence to seek medical referral when they detect abnormalities. Currently 5% of diagnosed cases are already at stage IV with breast cancer being the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in women under 30 in the UK (181 new cases diagnosed and 12 deaths annually). CoppaFeel! strives for a country where no one dies of breast cancer because of late detection or misdiagnosis. The charity receives no government funding and relies solely on voluntary donations.  As October is Breast Cancer awareness month, this is such a good idea of Birchbox to do a collaboration.

Inside the box this time as you can see, there is this amazing pink make-up bag which is the perfect size for fitting everything within the box in it! The idea behind the products is to focus inward on health and wellbeing with the products to help you 'work it' and to get motivated to tackle whatever your day brings.  So inside my box there is:

KMS California Free Shape Hot flex Creme - Apply it to towel dried hair and comb through before drying.  It is said to smooth curls, waves and/or frizz. This is a 50ml sample.

Cindy Crawford Meaningful Beauty Glowing Serum - A Sumptuous radiance-enhancing anti-ageing serum to be used in the morning before your moisturiser or anytime for an instant pick-me-up.  This is an 8ml sample.

Balance Me Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm - This is a nourshing cleanser which uses oatmeal powder to exfoliate dry and dead skincells. Perfect for normal-dry skin but also balances oily skin too.  This is a 40ml sample.

Shaveworks The Cool Fix - Said to be a genius cooling gel lotion that treats ingrown hairs, razor bumps and redness after hair removal.  Can be used morning and evening until the redness fades.  This is a 29ml sample.

Pixie by Petra Shea Butter Lip Balm - I have Ripe Raspberry and when used on the lips it does leave a hint of colour which you can work up to a much bolder colour should you wish.  Using Shea butter, this lip balm leaves your lips feeling soft and smooth.

The final item is the Birchbox Lipstick pen which I love, it is such a brilliant extra item to have and one that will appeal to most beauty bloggers.  

Finally the most important aspect of this box is Copping a Feel, knowing your Boobs can save your life!  Inside the box on the pink card is a little and it features some really useful and important information and this is it:

I hope everyone who got this box or who is reading this post looks at the instructions on this card and does CoppaFeel!  It is so important and as someone who has three friends at various stages with the disease, I can't tell you enough how important it is to check!

What do you think to this months Birchbox?

Gina Conway Salon Experience

Have you ever wished you could find that perfect haircut, go along to a salon and say "I'd like that please" knowing you will love it? Well, I was recently introduced to website called HAIRCVT which was described to be as something that would allow Londoners to find the very best salons and stylists around them to give them the very best hairstyle possible. Relying on Google maps or friend recommendations (when you have completely different hair to your friend) is a thing of the past now! Finding those great little salons and stylists throughout London!

So I decided to put it to the test! Once you get to the site, you simply choose your options which are clearly shown in the left hand side of the screen. Then once your options appear in a matter of seconds, you choose the one you want, call the salon where it was styled and off you go. This is the style I liked the most, note this is not me in the photo.

To get this style, my selected salon was Gina Conway in Chelsea and last week I finally went to have my hair sorted out. I have been quite bad and havent had so much as a trim since April, which meant my hair had got to that stage where it was in dire need of sorting out and the Gina Conway Salon in Chelsea came to my rescue. 

Gina Conway salons are part of the Aveda Salon and Spa who like to approach every guest with fresh eyes and by listening and caring about each individual we can create a bespoke plan for them and deliver and delight above expectations.

The salon is situated down The Kings Road, one of my favourite roads in London and it looks amazing from the outside, never mind the inside. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted like a long lost friend which really put me at ease and as my coat as taken, I was shown to a chair to begin my consultation with the lovely Saffron. As we went through my options, the one thing that struck me is that for once, I actually felt I was being listened to about my hair rather than guided to or having styles recommended to me, something ive found quite rare. Once the options had been taken through, I was told I was about to have a lovely Chakra Ritual & Massage which as more amazing then I can begin to describe:

"Balance your energy systems by choosing from the Chakra Aroma Range while you receive a relaxing shoulder and head massage"

I won't give away any of the secrets of how this works, but by the time it was finished, I possibly resembled someone who had just woken up from a very deep sleep, that is how relaxed I was and I had had an extremely stressful day with one of my cats being taken really ill resulting in frantic calls too and from the vet and then to work.

Once my hair had been washed, cleansed and conditioned, I was back in the chair ready to await my transformation. The whole time my hair was being trimmed and cut, Saffron would constantly tell me what she was doing and how she was doing it, so throughout the entire process I felt at ease and almost in charge of what was happening, rather than the stylist just cutting away with their scissors and you waiting until they have finished to see what has happened.

One my hair was complete, dried and then styled, I was able to go through a list of products that had been used and the one which really caught my attention is the Aveda Smooth Infusion Style Prep Smoother which is appear in its own review shortly.

This is one amazing salon, the whole experience is wonderful and the staff are just really lovely from the minute to arrive to the second you leave. There is abslutely no pressure on you the customer to do or have anything you do not want or are uncomfrtable with and the added extra of a spa treatment is such a nice touch, it is worth booking an appointment just for one of those.

If you are looking for a new salon, then please visit Gina Conway who can be found via the website HERE and if you are looking for some hair inspiration HairCVT might just have something you'll like and I would love to know what you think to it!