Perfume Purge

I have to admit that I adore the freedom that having a large perfume collection allows me, but at this point the range has become overwhelming and I'm slowly but surely using up those heavy glass bottles and making room for some other fragrances. The images below aren't the whole collection, just a selection that sit out on my shelving unit. My collection is made up of a mix of things - PR samples, birthday gifts and bottles I've hinted about to Mister over the years. My favourites have come through all of these avenues to be honest, but I'm not terribly well versed in the crazily priced luxe perfumes that are available so you won't see those here. I've made it my mission to use up these three bottles before Christmas, and as this goes live I'm one fragrance down and doing well!

My sister bought Michael Kors Very Hollywood for my birthday many years ago and I remember being so excited to receive it after sniffing it countless times at the Myer Fragrance Hall. It's a really likable white floral and according to Fragrantica it has notes of "mandarin, frozen bergamot, moist jasmine..." That mix is definitely a first for me, haha. I'm happy to say I've finished up this bottle, so the perfume purge is already going well!

I am quite fond of a rose scent every now and again and Bvlgari Rose Essentielle is probably my favourite one. I love the powdery notes of it (though I can imagine that it would turn some rose-haters off) but the nozzle has become hard to use and I'm looking forward to finishing this one up and turning to another powdery scent in its place.

Last but not least on the chopping block is my travel petite parfum of Urban Rituelle's Cotton Candy (reviewed here, and mentioned here) I still have a full bottle of this and love it to bits, but the nozzle on this petite is also knackered and I need to use it up and move onto other sweet perfumes in my collection.

I have a few perfumes on my Christmas list this year, so I'm really hoping to purge these perfumes this month before the 25th! What new scent do you have your eye (or nose?) on?
-Emma x

Sample Selection #1

I've decided to begin a new series in order to dip into my sample stash and throw some mini reviews up onto the blog. First up is a selection of adorable little sample pots that Mumma Bovary nabbed for me at The Body Shop. Our local shops had a scratch and win, and Mumma B came up trumps with a rare win - usually all we see is 'better luck next time'! The lure of the free samples dragged her in even though the scent of shops like that is normally far too much for her sensitive head. She walked out with Honeymania Body Butter, Coconut Scrub and Honeymania Shower Gel sample, which she promptly brought round to mine and gifted me!

 

I've been wanting to try the Honeymania scent since it launched, and it is so much more than a simple honey scent lemme tell you. It is floral and strong, and I'd say it is more honey blossom than a sweet nectar sort of scent.

 

The shower gels from TBS are always lovely (I rely on the travel sizes anytime I go away) but the Coconut Scrub was a little bit new for me as I'd previously only tried the sugar-based scrubs. This one was creamy with little bits of grit in it and left my skin really soft and smooth, but I've smelt better scents from TBS so I'd probably choose another scrub when the time comes.

 

The winner of this trio was definitely the Honeymania Body Butter - the butters are quite heavy on the skin (and also very moisturising, so there's that...) but the scent was perfect and it fixed my dry elbows in a flash - very classy I am!

 

So what scents do you recommend I sniff when I head back in for my complimentary express makeover? Do you have any Body Shop loves that you just can't get enough of?

 

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

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!

 

Jimmy Choo EDP // A Sweet Scent to Enjoy with a Cosmopolitan

Launched in February 2011, the simply named Jimmy Choo fragrance was the very first from the brand.  For me, the Jimmy Choo label is synonymous with Sex and the City, and the thought of sky high heels and cosmopolitans is quite a positive connection to have with a brand. When I first heard that the brand had jumped into the bustling fragrance world, I immediately hunted it down for a sniff. It wasn’t until recently that I had the chance to try it on for an extended period of time, thanks to a sample vial I procured at a Myer counter.

The pink snakeskin design wouldn’t be my first choice of packaging, but I think it ties in nicely with the grenade style bottle said to be inspired by Murano glass. Tamara Mellon was the mind behind the design, and it is said to be a fragrance that is "feminine yet empowering, with a lot of sensuality to it”

This is the description taken from Fragrantica:

“The seductive composition is a modern chypre fruity, with green top notes, tiger orchid, sweet toffee caramel and Indonesian patchouli.”

Being someone who isn’t well versed in fragrance, I smell a lot of sugar in this 'sweet patchouli' scent, and the caramel becomes quite evident on my skin. As with most fragrances this isn’t incredibly long lasting on me, but it does sit longer than others and I’m happy with that. I did really enjoy wearing this, but I’m still unsure as to whether or not a full bottle would be justified. It reminds me quite strongly of my sister in law, who is a big fan of it and wore it on our first holiday together, so perhaps I will leave it to her and enjoy it when I am in her presence.

Jimmy Choo EDP retails between $99-$139 and is available at Myer and David Jones.

 

Do you forgo a new perfume if you know it is someone’s signature scent?

How sweet can you go with your fragrances?

A Fragrance Wardrobe

I have a plethora of scents in my possession, but I’ve taken to keeping a select handful on my desk to help me use them up faster. I swap some of these out and I do still use scents from the rest of my ridiculous collection, but these are the ones that have taken their place on the desk shelf lately!

 

 

I spoke at length about my issues with Lancome Tresor in Love, and I’m hoping to use a lot of this bottle before our next anniversary rolls around, to increase my chances of getting a new bottle of juice. This is a fruity rose scent, with notes of nectarine, bergamot, peach and Turkish rose, and I tend to wear it at night when we go out for coffee.

A recent launch from one of my favourite brands, Illamasqua Freak* is definitely a unique part of my scent collecton and unlike anything else I own.  It smells spicy and rich to me, and I tend to wear it when it is cold out and I feel quite tough and brave. I had to look up the notes for this, and they include opium flower, poison hemlock and frankincense. I have personally smelt this on quite a few people and it is definitely one you have to try on in store to judge, as it changes drastically depending on your skin.

Balenciaga Paris*, a powdery floral scent with notes of violet, cedar and carnation, is one of the most luxurious scents in my stash. I find this stays quite close to my skin when I wear it, and I use it sparingly as it is a travel sized sample gifted to me from the Balenciaga PR. I adore the bottle and have been hoping to add a full size Balenciaga to my collection once I use up a few more bottles, and this is a contender for that top spot.

Tucked away in the back in that image is a gorgeous Jo Malone bag filled with a teensy bottle of Orange Blossom* and a body cream in another scent, that I have been squirrelling away since before I began beauty blogging a few years ago. I received this in a Primped goody bag, the very first bag of that kind that I had ever received. I absolutely adore both the aesthetic and the scents from Jo Malone, and know that when I begin full time work my Jo Malone collection will grow from this small bottle up.

So Hooked on Carmella from Benefit is one of the stronger scents in my collection, and was purchased from a blog sale a while back.  Classified as an oriental floral, this contains notes of grapefruit, lemon, rhubarb, peony, sandalwood, amber and vanilla. Most of these notes are my very favourites, and though I can’t wear this scent around my sensitive-nosed Mumma Bovary, I do pop it on quite often on days when I know I won’t see her.

Last but not at all least is my all-time favourite fragrance, and the one I hope to wear for the rest of my days here on earth. Guerlain’s Champs Elysees is a fruity-floral that contains notes of mimosa, rose almond and forest fruits, but most of all it smells like me!  I feel strong, powerful and intelligent when I wear this, like I am the woman I want to be.

 

Isn’t it amazing how fragrances can make you feel certain things?