Ted Baker Lyla Purse Spray

Ted Baker is one of those brands that has surprised me in the beauty world. Be it a nail polish, nail file, a cream, lotion, potion, candle or perfume, I have never felt disappointed. The Ted Baker aftershaves have been a big hit with the mister and likewise the perfumes with me which you can read about here and here. Today I have a further offering from the Ted Baker perfume range and today it is all about Lyla**.

Lyla is the latest addition to the Sweet Treats range of perfumes which are aptly described as being purse sprays and as well as having Mia and Polly from this range and love them, so I had high hopes for Lyla.

Described as follows: "Quietly confident with an enchanting elegance, Lyla turns heads. Glamorous from head to toe and perfectly polished at all times, she is the girl everyone wants to be. With an enchanting elegance and infectious allure Lyla combines fruity top notes of bergamot, grapefruit and peach with soft floral extracts of jasmine and rose and an enticing base of amber, sandalwood, vanilla and musk". 

So with top notes of bergamot, grapefruit and peach, the mid notes being floral with both rose and jasmine, and a base of vanilla, sandalwood, amber and musk, you have a fragrance which hits both the floral and fruity notes without being too heavy on either. I personally am not a fan of Vanilla scents in anything at all, I find it too overpowering as a scent and it leaves me with a headache, even if it is in food, so I was a little unsure as to how I would find this perfume, but thankfully, whilst I can tell the vanilla is present, it doesn't stay long enough, the sandalwood for me becomes the dominant scent. 

Top notes are those scents that are perceived immediately on application of a perfume. The middle notes which are the ingredients used to make up the perfume, and can range from plant and flower extracts to fruity extracts and in this perfume we have Jasmine sambac and plush, darkly fruity black plum and Indian black tea. So the base notes, which are perhaps the most important because they determine how long a fragrance will last, and most fragrances have similar base notes which often include sandalwood, amber, musk or vanilla. The reason being is because there are only a certain number of notes that will last long enough on the skin to form the base of a fragrance.

Lyla is presented in a white box with rose gold detailing and the actual bottle matches the design of the box perfectly.   It has a frosted white finish bottle with a faceted glass detail on the lid with the initials TB being visible.

I really like this scent, it is one which has grown on me and it is one which works really well with the oils in my skin, it lasts all day whenever I apply it and for me it is a scent I would wear during the daytime rather than an evening scent, so it is perfect for work.  Priced at just £15 for the 10ml bottle, this perfume would make a great gift either for yourself, a female friend or even your Mum.  It is available exclusively from Ted Baker stores right now and is launching into Boots in the Spring.

Does Lyla sound like the perfume for you?

Sampling

It has been a long time since I have done one of these posts, but as I have made a point of trying and using up some of my sample products, instead of just hoarding them, I thought I would share with you some of my favourites over the past couple of months. There are 5 products in total and it is fair to say, they have all made a huge impression on me.

Ole Henriksen Pure Truth Youth Activating Oil - This is a product from my Look Fantastic beauty Box and because my skin is often quite dry in parts, but oily in others, the joys of combination skin, I wasn't too sure how my skin would react to it. My skin loved it and after using just once, it felt incredibly hydrated, smooth and not at all as oily as I had feared, infact there was less oily patches the following day, when my lunchtime I would be grabbing my compact to dab off anything excess. This is one product I will finish and if I had nothing similar it is one I would purchase without debate because I like it that much. A full sized bottle retails at £47 

Eve Lom Cleanser - I received this within my first Look Fantastic Beauty Box, I've heard amazing things about this hot cloth cleanser from many bloggers who really rate it, so I was really looking forwarding to giving this a try. Considering I live in London where the air is not exactly clean and I wear makeup on a daily basis, I found this cleanser really does do a fantastic job at removing every single trace of my makeup not to mention surface dirt and grime which just seems to cling to my skin.  Eve Lom describe this product as "a multi-tasking marvel which removed every last trace of make-up, even waterproof mascara, it also decongests, tones and gently exfoliates the skin".

After using, I found my skin to be feeling extremely soft afterwards and really clean feeling but at £85 for a full sized tub, it didn't wow me enough to want to rush out and purchase it when I have similar products which do the same job just as well for a whole lot less. 

CoLab Dry Shampoo - I got these two beauties from my You Beauty Discovery Box and as someone who loves dry shampoo, I couldn't want to try them. I have heard amazing things about them and I have to say they more than live up to the claims as to how good they are. 

The one thing that started to bug me about dry shampoo was the 'white' residue that was left behind, no matter how much you shook or brushed your hair, throughout the day more would drop onto your shoulders. Not doth these! For a start there is no white residue, you simply spray it onto your hair and massage in, them brush your hair and voila, fresh looking and smelling hair! This is one product I will definitely repurchase!

This Works Sleep Plus Pillow Spray which comes from my October LookFantastic Box. It is described as acting faster than the original spray it is a fast acting natural remedy to help restore healthy sleep patterns for restless sleepers and is clinically proven to provide a better night’s sleep. It contains a potent blend of Lavender which naturally encapsulates to gradually release aromatherapeutic benefits as you sleep. This edition has more of a lavender fragrance and does smell a little medicinal. 

Firstly, I love this spray, whilst it doesn't send me off into a quick sleep, what it does help with is restlessness and it is relaxing and calming, perfect for spraying on your pillows whilst you are getting ready for bed, cleansing your face and adding your night cream. Once it has settled it smells absolutely divine.

Estee Lauder Modern Muse - I got this in my November Fragrance Shop Discovery Box and it is a scent I have come to absolutely love.  Described as follows: "Be an inspiration. Experience the fragrance that captures your style, your confidence, your creative spirit. An alluring contrast of sparkling florals and sleek, sensual woods". 

Now this scent is really lovely, one you would perhaps use for special occasions rather than everyday wear and it is one of those long lasting scents, once applied you can literally smell it all day and there is a wearing time of around 7-8 hours for me before it becomes obsolete. 

So as you can see the money that I have been spending on Beauty Boxes has really paid off. Firstly it is unlikely, other than CoLab that I would have bought anything by Eve Lom or Ole Henriksson, though I might possibly I have bought Sleep Plus given the rave reviews. Secondly, they are all really good sized samples and big enough to give you more than a couple of weeks usage. 

As much as I love sachets, unless it is a facemask, I am often left on the fence as to whether I like something enough to buy it after squeezing enough out to try it the once, I tend to use them when I am away for a LNG weekend as they might travelling lighter.

Have you tried any of these products? Do you like the sound of any of them?

Urban Apothecary London Peony Rose Luxury Candle

Urban Apothecary London is a brand I have heard of, but not used a product from until now. British lifestyle brand Urban Apothecary is the brilliant brainchild of its founder Tajinder Banwait. Tajinder has over 10 years experience within the beauty industry and brings her extensive knowledge and creative flair to this innovative brand. A brand that is about enjoying luxury and indulgence everyday. Tajindr started Urban Apothecary from her kitchen table, something I am sure many of use dream of doing but never actually have given it a go. It is from this kitchen and table that she designed logos, sourced packaging and received hundreds of scent submissions. Everything received the same attention to detail until absolutely perfect. It was the search for just the right glass candle jar that marked the birth of the brand.

I was very kindly sent the Peony Rose Luxury Candle which is just stunning to look at, everything about it from the label, glass jar and lid screams luxury. This candle is from the miniature candle range of which there are eight different scents to choose from. They include Fig, Frangipan, Vanilla Flower, Plum Blossom, Mint Crème, Strawberries and cream, Violet Cassis and my very own Peony Rose.

Described as follows "Experience this full-bodied fragrance of 2 of nature’s most classic and beautiful flowers, synonymous with romance and happiness. Enjoy a sweet seduction of the senses with the heady scent of red roses and pink peonies lifted by an unexpected green apple note. With the addition of powdery white musks and soft, spicy amber, this alluring fragrance is elegant and feminine".

The first thing I noticed about this candle was that before the lid was even removed, the fresh scent of rose was really evident and then as the candle burns you can smell both the Peonies and the Roses, though for me the Roses are more dominant.  

This candle is 65g and has a burn time of around 17 hours, which is actually quite a long time.  Around 15 minutes after it has been lit, the scent lingers throughout the house, which compared to other candles is really quick.  After an hour, the scent is well and truly fragrant and you can extinguish the flame and still smell the fresh rose scent a few hours later.  For me the strength of the scent in this candle is similar to that of a wax tart.

I absolutely love the design of this candle, the glass jar is really solidly put together and it is quite weighty but delicate at the same time.  I have no doubts that when this candle come to the end of its life, I will use the jar for something else, quite what that something else will be I do not know, but it would be such a shame to not use it because it is so stunning.

A candle of this size costs just £13 and if you fancy something a little bigger then there are plenty to choose from right HERE.  As well as candles you can find Reed Diffusers and plenty of other gift offerings.

From Nail Care to Shopping Nirvana

When searching on the Internet for a product or a range of products that you want to check out, there is a way to do this that can save you a lot of money. Let’s say that you want to look at nail care and you want to buy something in this range. Instead of going to Google and typing in the keyword, go to VoucherBin.co.uk and type in “nail care” and you will get a selection of sites that you can visit and save money by using the coupon code provided.

VoucherBin is a site that offers discounts from virtually all of the major UK retail stores. You should really check this out before you buy anything online as you will be amazed at not only the selection that you have, but also the amount of savings that can be made. If you look at this site Feelunique you will end up spending ages just browsing through the selection that is presented to you. They have everything that you could ever wish for from a Beauty store, from fragrances, makeup, nails, skin care etc.

The nail care section is extremely comprehensive and you will be able to get everything that you were looking for from Feelunique and also saved yourself some money into the bargain. The amount of false nails available was mind blowing. The manufacturers included L’Oreal, ncLA, Elegant Touch and a host of others.

By looking at the main menu on these sites you will be pleasantly surprised to see the amount of stores and retailers that are offering discounts. High Street names like Debenhams, Bonmarche, BHS, La Redoute etc. were all there amongst a myriad of others. Your shopping experience will never be the same once you get used to using a voucher site to get all your needs.

The other advantage of this is that you will find a great many retailers that you have not heard of previously. You will have tremendous fun just browsing through the retailers that are new to you and discovering lots of items that will be useful in the future. When looking for gifts, you can return to this site to get lots of ideas.

The advent of voucher codes is not new, and many people search out these codes prior to making a purchase. However, having a site where there are so many stores offering bargains is not only a good way to save money, it will save a tremendous amount of time in looking for individual vouchers and bargains.

In future, make voucher sites your one stop shop when searching online. You will not only have more choice that you could ever need, but you can get some great bargains that would not have been available had you gone directly to the retailers site via Google. When it is time for Christmas to come round again, you will be spoiled for choice. You cannot top this for convenience and enabling you to save money as well.

**Guestpost