The Sniff List - Top 5 Scents to take a Whiff of for Summer

Each time we reach the end of the year, I begin thinking about which perfume I'd like to pop onto my wishlist. Since my birthday is but a week after Christmas, I pretty much need to make a monster list to make it easier for my family to cross me off their present list. I perused my fragrance stocks (some are still boxed away, woe is me!) and pulled out 5 awesome scents that would make lovely gifts for somebody else, or for yourself!

I don't really know much about Vivienne Westwood, so thought 'cute bottle' and not much more when Flirty Alice* hit my desk. One spritz and I was hooked though, this is probably my top pick from this bunch. It smells citrusy with some vanilla somethin' somethin' going on, and a quick check of Fragrantica says it also contains some green tea, rose buds and blonde woods (though I prefer brunette, ha!)

 The latest Marc Jacobs just had to be included, if not for the scent then the adorable bottle alone! Marc Jacobs Honey* is a soft and floral honeyed scent which is something Mumma Bovary would go crazy for - she likes it a bit sweet but most perfumes give her migraines, so Marc Jacobs is her go-to for soft and wearable scents.

Michael Kors Very Hollywood was on my wish list for the longest time, and was a gift from my beautiful sister for my birthday two years ago. It is a strong white floral, and I love the pink/coral and gold accents on the bottle. A great light summer fragrance is Clarins Sunshine* - you know I adore this brand, and so a orange bottle of their juice was bound to be a hit with me! It smells sweet, floral and citrusy, perfect for hot weather!

 

Last but not least is a great 'out for dinner' perfume that is super strong - Paco Rabanne Black XS. I nabbed this from Mumma Bovary who bought it duty free after loving the scent of it on my cousin when she lived with us, but it is too strong for her so I scored big time! I am also eyeing off the Kim Kardashian bottle she bought at the airport, as I've already finished my bottle and would love another!

 

How often do you spritz on a new scent? Are you a fan of commercial scents, or are a die hard indie perfume fanatic?

 

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

 

*Provided for consideration - honesty, always!

 

Empties + Chuckers // July + August // The Moving House Edition

So as it turns out, there is no better motivation to clear out some beauty loot than having to pack up all of your worldly possessions to move for the very first time. I have chucked out some things and used up others, and waited until I was about to move before snapping a picture of what had accumulated.

Innoxa Body Wash* – a nice lather and inoffensive smell made this easy to use, but not exciting enough to repurchase

Bodycology Sweet Petals – absolutely loved this, the scent was amazing and I am frustrated because I think it is a discontinued product (I bought it for $1 from Priceline…)

Kit Cosmetics Tan Prep Body Scrub* – a truly great body scrub, doesn’t leave any residue and the scent reminds me of hot summer days and coconuts

Deodorants – The best from this bunch is the travel Rexona + the Clinical Protection cream deodorant. The Dove wasn’t that impressive and the pink Musk Rexona at the back of this photo burned my underarms!

Garnier Fructis Sensitive Scalp Shampoo – my staple, I switch between this and the Classic version

Smackers Strawberry Body Spray – I used this as a room spray as it was too sweet for the body! Nice faux strawberry scent, but more suited to my niece’s age range than my own

Impulse Paris Body Spray – loved this, also used this as a room spray and it reminded me of Dior My Cherie which is always a good thing.

Clearasil Skin Perfecting Wash with microbeads – I think Mum bought me this when I had just begun high school, I found it so far back in my bathroom cabinet! A chucker, for sure.

Ten O Six Deep Pore Toner – Another chucker, I remember despising this alcohol filled toner than smelled scarily strong and hurt when I applied it. The beginning of my skincare regime was not a pretty one!

L’Oreal Powder Concealer – packaging is cracked and I never liked the formula to begin with. Another one to chuck in the bin!

L’Oreal Vita Lift 5 Facial Moisturiser* – Technically Mister Bovary’s, but I used this as a night cream every now and again and really enjoyed it. The scent is quite strong and masculine, but it did the job nicely and Mister said he would repurchase (or perhaps he has already, I’ve forgotten)

Uriage Thermal Spray* – A nice hit of thermal water for powdery makeup moments and when the heating at work is on full blast.

L’oreal Triple Active Day moisturiser – I have used up a few of these and really love the formula, I still have one in back up which I’m looking forward to using.

Burt’s Bees Anti-Blemish Solutions moisturiser* – Adored this moisturiser, kept my skin really happy but the damn packaging was a fail! Beautiful glass bottle with a pump (all good so far…) but the formula is too thick to come through when you get near the end of the bottle, so a whole lot of product is sitting there, unable to be reached.

Soap & Glory Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser* – A true skincare love of mine, and I’ve already repurchased! Kept my acne away and my face is never better than when I’m using this.

Face of Australia Impact Curl Mascara – My whole family uses this, and I love how affordable it is to repurchase! Really holds a curl in my lashes, though it must be noted that my family are generally blessed with good lashes so results may vary.

Chanel travel mascara –woeful! This came in a Chanel pack Mister Bovary bought for me on our first holiday years ago (before I was interested in makeup!) and it did so little for my lashes that it made me hold off on buying from Chanel for quite some time…I certainly am over that fear now though!

Dermalogica Precleanse – Another skincare love that I will definitely repurchase! A great first cleanse product that smells citrusy and lovely.

 

FCUK For Her – A nice but bland scent, I can’t help but think of how cheap it is every time I apply this. Mister Bovary has the male version, and it is much the same in experience for him as well.

Vera Wang Princess – I had quite the obsession with this before I received it for a Christmas gift a few years ago, and after using it I discovered that it doesn’t sit very nicely on my skin at all. It’s lovely in the bottle, but the special quality disappears when I wear it.

Elizabeth Arden Mediterranean –Absolutely love this scent, and have decided that the next time I see it on sale I am going to grab myself a big bottle for my stash.

Paco Rabanne Black XS – A great sweet scent that reminds me of my cousin Claire, who wore it while living with my family for a few years. I love it, but I feel I have to leave it to her to rock! 

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

The Perfume Purge

Now that the SOLD sign is up and our settlement date is less than a month away, I have decided it is time to try to use up as much of my beauty loot as I can before we move into our first home. Rather than taking all the bulky half-finished products with me, I hope to have them done and dusted and be able to celebrate with a big ol’ empties post! The first products I’ve set my target on is my perfume stash, which is overtaking space right now…

 

Though I love having lots of perfume bottles to enjoy and will continue to have a good rotation happening, it is time to get rid of bottles with nothing but a dribble left inside, or those that I like but don’t really love.

FCUK For Her is a total cheapie that you can pick up for peanuts at most perfume stores, and mine was a gift from my brother long ago. It’s a nice enough scent, but nothing amazing, so it should be easy enough to use up.

Paco Rabanne Black XS For Her was the signature scent of my cousin when she lived with our family for a few years, but now that she is back in the UK my Mum grabbed a bottle of this sweet stuff to use. Sadly it was too strong for her, so I nabbed it and really like the way it smells on me. It reminds me of my feisty cousin, and has notes of cranberry, pink peppercorn and cocoa blossom.

Vera Wang Princess was my most lusted over product for a long time during my teen years. The sweet vanilla fragrance is still something I love, but I’m not sure if I’d buy this again these days. This is my second bottle, and I love the shape of this range (I actually received Glam Princess as a gift recently!)

Elizabeth Arden Mediterranean is a musky floral sort of scent, and every single time I wear it someone comments on how great I smell. Reason enough to buy a big bottle in the future, right?!

Bvlgari Rose Essentielle is yep, you guessed it, essentially rose! Powdery and beautiful, this is one of the few perfume bottles I actually purchased myself. I really only receive perfume as gifts from family members (sometimes requested, sometimes random) but it is rare for me to hand over dosh for a bottle myself. I think I would buy another bottle of this in the future, and because it has the most juice left I think it will be harder to use up in this time frame.

I have my eye on some body mists from Hollister so these being gone should make space for them – has anyone tried a Hollister scent? How often do you finish up perfume bottles? Do you jump from scent to scent as well, or are you loyal to one or two favourites? Give me your scent recommendations in the comments below, I would love to hear of some new bottles to sniff at the shops.