Perfume Collection

 

Recently I was organising my perfume collection so I thought I would take a few photos for the blog, I have to say I surprised even myself with the amount I've managed to gather.  There are 56 (eek!) different scents pictured.

 

Here is a list of them, most with clickable links to a description:

 

212 VIP (2010) - Carolina Herrera

Acqua Di Parma Iris Nobile (2004) - Acqua di Parma

Alien (2005) - Thierry Mugler

Alien : Les Parfums de Cuir (2012) - Thierry Mugler

Alien Essence Absolue (2012) - Thierry Mugler

Ange ou Démon Le Secret (2009) - Givenchy

Angel Sunessence (2009) - Thierry Mugler

Black Orchid (2006) - Tom Ford

Blue Agava and Cacao (2006) - Jo Malone

C'est La Fête (2007) - Christian Lacroix

Contradiction (1997) - Calvin Klein

Eden (1994) - Cacharel

Féerie (2008) - Van Cleef & Arpels

Floral Collection; Iris – Marks and Spencer

GapBody Coconut Tuberose (2007) - Gap

Gin & Tonic (1997) - Demeter Fragrance Library

Green Tea Lavender (2010) - Elizabeth Arden

In Bloom Honeysuckle & Jasmine – Marks and Spencer

In Bloom Orchid & Vanilla – Marks and Spencer

In Bloom Rose & Amber – Marks and Spencer

Iris (2010) - Crabtree & Evelyn

Lolita Lempicka (1997) - Lolita Lempicka

Lolita Lempicka Fleur Défendue / Forbidden Flower (2008) - Lolita Lempicka

Lyn Harris : La Fleur (2012) - Marks and Spencer

Lyn Harris : La Poudrée (2012) - Marks and Spencer

Lyn Harris : Le Noir (2012) - Marks and Spencer

Midnight Poison (2007) - Christian Dior

Miss Dior Chérie (2005) - Christian Dior

Paul Smith Rose (2007) - Paul Smith

Peonia / Vanilla / Amber / Pear (2011) - Korres

Pepper / Jasmine / Gaiac Wood / Passion Fruit (2011) - Korres

Plaisirs Nature Coconut– Yves Rocher

Plaisirs Nature Solid Perfume Lychee – Yves Rocher

Plaisirs Nature Strawberry – Yves Rocher

Plaisirs Nature Vanilla – Yves Rocher

Ralph (2000) - Ralph Lauren

Rare Gold – Avon

Sensuous (2008) - Estée Lauder

Shalimar Parfum Initial (2011) - Guerlain

Silver Mountain Water (1995) – Creed

Smooth Sandalwood – GAP

Suddenly Madame Glamour – Lidl

Sunflowers (1993) - Elizabeth Arden

Tahitian Holiday (2008) - Avon

Terre de Bois (2000) - Miller Harris

Ultraviolet Summer Pop - Paco Rabanne

Vanilla / Freesia / Lychee (2011) - Korres

Very Irrésistible (2003) - Givenchy

Virgin Island Water – Creed

White Jasmine & Mint (2007) - Jo Malone (30ml & 100ml)

 

A few of my favourites are described below.

 

First up my two Creed scents, I love both of these, they were pretty serious investments but I haven't regretted either for a second.  Virgin Island Water smells of summer and holidays and I adore it and Silver Mountain Water is like it's winter cousin; cool, crisp and delicious.  I love wearing both these scents, they really do make me feel better as soon as I put them on.

 

 

Some of my favourite scents are by Thierry Mugler, I adore Alien in almost all it's guises and currently, as well as the original, I have the Absolue and Leather versions too, I think this is probably the one perfume I will always replace in some form or another, it's about as close to a signature scent as I could get.

 

Although I'm not a huge fan of the original Angel I love the lighter summer versions, Sunessence is the one I have currently and although they change year to year they always have a similar sort of scent.

 

Another of my favourites is the Strawberry scent from Yves Rocher, I first started wearing this about 15 years ago when it was avaliable to buy in the UK since then it's become a bit more hard to find and I now stock up when I go to visit my parents in Spain or if I'm on holiday in Europe.  It's a lovely juicy, fresh fruit scent perfect for casual wear, and it reminds me a bit of my younger days which I like too.

 

I have a bit of a thing for Iris scents, mostly because to me they smell a bit like Parma Violets, and this M&S version is the most Parma Violet-y of any I've tried, despite the fact it seems to be aimed at an older market I really love this sweet floral scent.

 

Here's my collection where I store them, in the top drawer of a dresser beside my make up.  I keep them in the cool and dark but I'm far too lazy and messy to put them all back in their boxes, so far it doesn't seem to have done them any harm at all.  You can also see my box of samples in the centre at the top of the picture.

 

In general I do favour the larger bottles when I buy scents, when I mention how many I have people often say that it's a waste as they will go off, particularly the larger sizes, but I've never found this to be the case with decent quality scents and only very occasionally, after several years, with the cheaper ones.

 

I'm also quite lucky in that my perfume application is very much of a 'more is more' nature so I do go through quite a lot, especially since I wear it pretty much all the time; including to the gym and to bed which is apparently not generally the done thing. 

 

Shamefully, since these photos were taken I've added another two bottles (Red Delicious DKNY (because it smells like Parma Violets) & Green Tea Tropical Elizabeth Arden) so the collection is still growing.  I also have a rather long wishlist which currently has several Tom Fords, Jo Malones and the fantastically named Fat Electrician at the top of it.

 

What are your favourite perfumes?  How many do you have, I know I can't be the only blogger with a slightly excessive collection. ;)

Lyn Harris for M&S - Festive Bargain!

Lyn Harris is the perfumer behind Miller Harris, a niche perfume line founded in the UK in 2000, there are a fantastic collection of fragrances available but they aren't always budget friendly so when I heard that Lyn Harris now has a collection at M&S I was keen to try them out.

 

There are 6 fragrances in all, there are details on all of them here.  I decided to pop into M&S today to try them out and I am very glad I did, this weeks Deal of the Week is 50% of beauty gift sets, including all the Lyn Harris range, so that's a full sized EDT and a body cream for just £12.50!

 

The EDT alone normally retails at £25 a bottle so this really is a great deal.  As far as I know it's on all week, while stocks last, and can be bought in certain stores and online, so if you fancy trying out one of the new Lyn Harris scents it's definitely worth checking out.  You can see the online section here.

 

 

 

 

Have you tried any of the new Lyn Harris scents?  What do you think of them?

New Perfume Bargains from Cheap Smells

I love the Cheap Smells website, they always have really good deals and bargains available and not always on perfume.  Last week it was Tigi haircare at 60% off RRP.  The offers usually change on a weekly basis so it's worth popping past the website every so often to see what they have on offer that week.

 

The reason for my latest order was a special deal on a Lolita Lempicka flanker Forbidden Flower which I've been wanting to try for a while.  I wear, and love, the original Lolita Lempicka fairly regularly and had been waiting for a good deal on Forbidden Flower so I could try that too.

 

Along with it I ordered a bottle of Elizabeth Arden Green Tea and Lavender, I had the original Green Tea scent previously and liked it for every day wear.  It's a very fresh, clean, green scent that's ideal for wearing day to day if you don't want too overpowering a scent.  I love lavender scented things so when I saw the price of a huge 100ml bottle I couldn't resist.  I figured, at worst, it could be used as a nice, relaxing room or pillow scent.

 

As always with Cheap Smells my package arrived super fast, 2 days after ordering, and well packed.

 

The Green Tea and Lavender was a lovely surprise, it really is just the original Green Tea scent with the addition of Lavender which suits me perfectly, I like the fresh green scent of the original and the lavender has added a hint of floral warmth to it which makes it smell lovely and calming.

 

It's definitely not a scent for those of you who don't like lavender as it is a fairly strong and obvious addition but for people like me who are not afraid of the more mature, floral scents (otherwise known as something your gran might like ;) ) then this is definitely a winning addition.

 

 

Before even trying Forbidden Flower I was a little bit in love with the bottle; it's a pale golden yellow version of the usual apple design. The scent itself is very similar to the original with a bit more of a flowery, lighter opening.

 

It still dries down to the same liquorice tinged, soft powdery musk scent as the original although not quite as strong.  I wouldn't buy another bottle when this one runs out as it's so similar to the original, which I love, without actually being any better, it's still very wearable though and means I can save what's left of my purple apple for nights out.

 

 

So, overall, for committing the cardinal sin of buying perfume untried online this order worked out pretty well; two nice, new scents at a bargain price.

 

If you're looking to add to your fragrance collection definitely check out Cheap Smells, they always have a great range of fragrances at reduced prices and I can't fault their customer service after almost a dozen orders, if you sign up for their newsletter they will update you with their weekly deals which are often great for grabbing a bargain - and no, they aren't paying me, I just think it's worth passing on details of companies who offer good prices, fast delivery and the option to treat yourself more often.

Korres

I've been after one, or two, or indeed all of the Korres EDT for a while now but was unsure which to choose as almost every one I had tried in store was really nice.  My local stockist had been out of testers for months now so I've been holding off buying one scent in case I decided it wasn't my favourite when I did get the chance to try them again.

Generally they retail for around £27 per 50ml bottle but recently Brand Alley (an online discount shopping outlet) had a selection of Korres products available at really good, discounted prices.  The EDTs were £17.50 each and I had a £10 voucher to use up so I decided now was the time to grab the scents I wanted most.

Here's what I ordered:

The packaging is gorgeous, I'd never seen a box opened before but when I received my order I discovered the whole box unfolds and is printed with details of the Korres brand and details of the individual scent notes which I thought was a nice touch.  It's good quality packaging which feels expensive.  The bottles are a nice chunky, solid shape and clearly labelled.

Now, on to the scents!  The first Vanilla, Freesia, Lychee is lovely; it's a sweet, sugary, floral scent which is an almost exact copy of Flowerbomb.  Possibly not to everyone's taste as it is very sweet and quite strong but being a Flowerbomb fan I love it, it last for a good long while and doesn't wear off after a few hours as some scents do on me.

Next, Paeonia, Vanilla, Amber Pear; this one is light, floral and fruity.  It's a gorgeous soft scent perfect for every day and also last rather well.  It's a great daytime scent, not too overpowering but still strong enough to notice and delicious smelling.

Finally, Pepper, Jasmine, Gaiac Wood; this one is a far more masculine scent but I still love it.  It reminds me hugely of a far more expensive Tom Ford scent which I have been lusting after, Tobacco Vanille, which at £135 for 50ml is a touch out of my price range. 

This EDT is a warm, woodsy scent with a hint of spice.  It would definitely be wearable for men, and initially my intention was to give it to my partner, but on receiving it I don't think I can part with it so we'll have to share.

Overall I am very pleased with my purchases and even more pleased with myself for holding out until a good deal came up, generally I rush out and buy anything I want immediately but in this instance holding off clearly paid off!

crazylibellule and the poppies

Good name, huh?

Makers of The Crazy Sticks, little solid perfume sticks, which I have just acquired 4 of. They come in very cute, handbag-sized packaging, perfect for carrying about with you.



There are 4 collections; Les Divines Alcóves (love stories), Poule de Luxe (vanilla based foodie scents), Shanghaijava (oriental, exotic scents) and finally Les Garçonnes (paying tribute to free women, apparently). All come in similar styles the same adorable packaging.



The four I chose were:

The Kiss which is sweet vanilla, violet and iris fragrance. I love violet, but not this violet, sadly this one is really not my thing and will be getting passed on, it's too musky and old smelling for me. I found it very clawing and had to wash it off after a couple of hours. Not good.

In Love is rose, berry and sandalwood. It's lovely; powdery, sweet and soft smelling. It smells quite old fashioned to me, but in a good way.

Vanilla Pom d'Amour as the name suggests is vanilla and apple, red apple I think, with a spicy hint to it too. It reminds me a bit of a festive scent as it settles, definitely a warm winter smell. Not something I would say is typically my kind of smell, but nice for a change.

And finally, my absolute favourite, Ananas Impérial smelling of grapefruit, pineapple, peach and lime. It's gorgeous, so fresh and juicy and sweet. It's a proper mouth watering scent and I love it, definitely my favourite.

Of course, now I have tried a few and looked on the website, there are at least another 5 I have to have. Most of them in the foodie range, which all sound delicious.



These dinky little scents are not cheap, mine were £6 each at half price which isn't bad, but normally they are around £12 each, which is quite a lot for such a small amount, especially as they currently only seem available online, it's a lot to spend without being able to try them out first.

They seem to last pretty well, and there are apparently hundreds of applications in each tube, so I guess time will tell on a value for money front, I'm certainly quite content with getting mine at 50% off.

Overall, I would say for the cuteness and delicious scents they are definitely worth a try, provided you avoid The Kiss.