Brighton Blogger Meetup

On Saturday I popped down to Brighton for the day for a meetup organised by the lovely Laura from Lola and Behold.

20 bloggers all congregated at the Globe pub just off Brighton Seafront. We all had a good natter, and Laura had prepared some name badges, which for someone as rubbish with names as me was a total godsend!

We had a fab demonstration from Lush who showed us how they make one of their fresh face masks. We were all given a pot to try out at home, which I'm looking forward to as it will be the first one I've tried. Nail Girls also popped in briefly as they had kindly chosen us all a nail polish  based on our blogs. Mine was a gorgeous light blue which I can't wait to try out.

Making a Lush fresh face mask

 After the Globe we headed off to My Salon Looks - a new salon at the Hove end of Brighton. We were shown two demonstrations - the first was a type of balayage colouring using tissues, and then a Shu Uemera treatment. It was really interesting to see how both of these worked - the tissue dye left an amazing effect on the hair and the Shu Uemera experience looked like a really luxurious pampering to have as part of your hair cut.

As we were getting ready to leave the salon, we were all surprised with a gift - either a pair of straighteners or a hairdryer. I was given a luxury hairdryer that contains a small amount of argan oil that blows over your hair as you dry it. It was such a shock and a wonderful treat and I can't thank the salon enough!

Products at My Salon Looks

Part of the Shu experience

The Shu experience

Tissung dye

 After the salon, we hit the shops in Brighton. I headed off with a couple of the girls to Montezumas to pick up some chocolate (seriously, you need to go there if you visit Brighton) and we hit Jo Malone for a good sniffing session.

The day finished off with a lovely Italian meal, which was the perfect time for a cheeky gin, and a chance to have one final chat before we all headed off home.

Laura also prepared some amazing goody bags with the help of lots of brands - they contained a Birchbox, Bodhi, Green People, Weleda, Batiste, Nourish skincare, Helen E, Washi cloths, Angelica nails, Mavala, to name just a few.

The goody bag

Just a few of  the things I'll be trying first. 

The amazing hairdryer from My Salon Looks

Birchbox goodies

I had such an amazing day and it was great to meet so many new bloggers. Thank you again to Laura for arranging it.

I've popped a list of all the lovely ladies from the day below, so pop over and say hi to them!

sophierosehearts.blogspot.co.uk 

www.lillaloves.com

lolaandbehold.blogspot.com 

www.chellemccann.co.uk 

www.everythingsrosieblog.com 

vanillaglitter.blogspot.co.uk 

www.fashionmeasmile.com

beautyobsessedgirl.blogspot.com 

captivatingbeeauty.blogspot.co.uk 

www.baileycakesblog.com 

taupeandpearl.blogspot.com 

fizzypeaches.blogspot.co.uk

www.makedoandpush.co.uk 

hvabeautyandstyle.blogspot.co.uk 

carriebrighton.blogspot.co.uk/

katsick.blogspot.co.uk 

chambrayandcurls.blogspot.com

OOTD: Brighton blogger meetup

Welcome to my first ever outfit of the day! On Saturday I headed down to Brighton for a blogger meetup organised by the lovely Laura of Lola and Behold.

After chatting with another Laura (Chambray and Curls) for most of the day she offered to help me take some photos for my first ever outfit post. I've been wanting to do the odd one of these for a while but hadn't struck up the courage! I was a little nervous, so forgive the awkward pose! Here it goes...

Jacket: Vintage
Top - Forever 21
Necklace - New Look
Shorts - Topshop
Boots - Primark
Bag - Mulberry

There'll be a full post on the meet up very soon, so keep your eyes peeled for all the details of the day.

Thank you again to Laura for all her help taking the pictures.

Would you like to see more of these posts?

Guest post: One Little Vice's top 5 sheer lipsticks

Hi there, my name’s Angelica and I write the beauty blog One Little Vice. Kat’s been lovely enough to let me write a guest post for her and as I’m a massive sheer lipstick lover I’m going to share my top five sheer lipsticks with you today with mini-reviews of each.

1. B. sheer lipstick in Jam The B. make-up range is a relatively new release available in Superdrug stores and I was first attracted to it when I found out that it was BUAV approved. I only picked up two of their products, one of which was this sheer lipstick in the most gorgeous berry red shade. I absolutely love the colour of this and it isn’t too sheer on the lips so you do still get a lovely slick of colour when you apply it.

The formula is really great as it isn’t too thin so it doesn’t disappear super quickly like some sheer lipsticks do. My only gripe with this lipstick is the packaging. It comes in a super thin tube which is very handbag and pocket friendly but just doesn’t feel very sturdy. I’m sure that one of these days the lipstick is going to shake itself right out of that tube but for now at least it’s safe in my lipstick stand!

2. L’Oreal Rouge Caresse Lipstick in Aphrodite Scarlet Oh lordy, these Rouge Caresse lipsticks get me all riled up with sheer lipstick excitement. They’ve been hyped in the blogging world and for reason a’plenty. When you apply one of these Rouge Caresse Lipsticks you get the smoothest and most even wash of colour you could hope for.

The formula isn’t too thin nor too thick and it doesn’t settle into any lines in your lips. The colour doesn’t last all that long but I’m actually pretty comfortable applying these mirror-less so on the go touch-ups are super easy. The range of colours is also really excellent so if you think Aphrodite Scarlet is too bright then be reassured that they have some gorgeous neutrals (I own and love the shade Sweet Berry which I’d recommend checking out too).

3. 17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in Shouty This is a more recent addition to my lipstick collection but it’s pretty darn gorgeous. On the lips it’s a lot lighter than Aphrodite Scarlet, think bright, almost Barbie, pink that’s made much more wearable by how light and sheer the formula of the lipstick is. I find that this shade really brightens up my complexion and is a super easy way to add colour to my face on days when I don’t feel like wearing loads of blush or eye shadow.

I think the formula of 17’s Mirror Shine Lipsticks is just wonderful, the feel of the product on your lips is really moisturising. This is one of my absolute favourites among the bunch and when I’m tan a little bit over the summer I think I’ll be reaching for this more and more.

4. Natural Collection Sheer Natural Lipstick in Sandcastle This is the most budget friendly lipstick among the bunch, at only £1.99 I don’t understand why everyone doesn’t own one of these! Sandcastle is a really gorgeous nude and one that I reach for quite often as it’s really subtle on those with pale skin and with a slight peach, rather than brown, undertone it won’t wash you out. It doesn’t last terribly long, but alas this is most often the case with sheer lipsticks. It’s another lipstick that I apply sans-mirror and never end up with a clown face afterwards. I’d definitely recommend Sandcastle and I think the whole range is really great value for money.

5.  The Body Shop Colour Glide Lipstick in Shade 11 Last up is my most worn sheer lipstick. I absolutely love the colour of this, and the formula is so glossy too- it’s just a pleasure to wear! It’s incredibly flattering on those with pale skin and is a middle ground between a nude and a peach as it’s pretty natural and neutral without being dark or brown. This is the most expensive lipstick of the bunch, with an RRP of £10, but I personally wear this enough to think that the price is justified.

A word of warning though, as much as I love Shade 11 the other shade I own (03) is a lot less lovely- shade 03 is a bit frosty and a little too glittery for me to wear during the day time. All in all, swatch before you buy and when in doubt stick with Shade 11!

So there you have it! Those are my top five sheer lipsticks. I hope you enjoyed the post and if you want to see lip swatches of any of these you can find them over on my blog. Thanks once again to Kat for letting me guest post and I hope all of you have a lovely weekend!

Kat - A big thank you for Angelica for her post. I think Shouty has just made it's way onto my wish list! Make sure you go check out her blog - One Little Vice.

Hair removal - getting rid of the fuzz

Today I'm going to be talking about hair removal. It's not pretty, but hey, we all have to do it!

As a ginger lady, I've been blessed with light-coloured body hair. This mean I can get away without shaving/waxing a lot longer than some of my darker-haired friends. Unfortunately, unlike my mother (who is blessed with completely hairless legs), now that the summer seems to finally be coming, I can't avoid it completely. So here's my guide to how to get rid of the fuzz and the different ways you can do it.

Shaving - I tend to shave my legs and for some reason prefer men's razors. I just find they give a better, smoother finish! Unfortunately shaving doesn't last very long, so it's an every other day event during summer.

Threading - Perfect for smaller areas like brows, chins, upper lips etc. this involves the hairs being pulled out with cotton thread. This gives similar results to waxing as the hairs are actually pulled out, but is also a bit painful!

Waxing - One of the best longer term hair removal options in my opinion, waxing uses hot wax to pull hairs out at the roots, meaning you stay hair free for about 2-3 weeks. You can wax any area, but I mainly go for the bikini line as it lasts so much longer than shaving. I'm not going to lie, it hurts. I'm too much of a wuss to get my legs waxed, and only ever wax your armpits if your pain threshold is bigger than Arnie's muscles.

Epilating - Epliators look a little like electric shavers, but pull groups of hairs out. I've never tried it myself, but expect similar results to waxing and also from what I've heard from friends, a world of pain. Not one for the faint hearted.

Laser hair removal - The most permanent solution of the lot, laser hair removal uses a laser to target areas of unwanted hair. Over the course of several treatments, hair regrowth is reduced. It's not cheap, and although it's meant to be relatively painless, I'm not sure I'd want to put a laser near my lady bits. It's definitely something I'd consider my my legs if money was no object. If laser hair removal interests you, then Sk:n Clinic have a 30% discount on their site at the moment for bikini and underarm treatments.

How are you planning to de-fuzz for the summer?

*sponsored post, words are my own.

Elemis Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm review

The Elemis Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm* has finally popped my Elemis cherry. The first product I've ever used from the brand, I've completely fallen in love. 

The rich, yet gentle balm dissolves makeup easily and leaves skin feeling clean and nourished at the same time. It contains a base of naturally grown essential oils, including starflower and elderberry, all of which are grown within the UK.

I've been using this every night for a month to remove my makeup and have been really impressed. You take a small amount and massage into dry skin, before adding a few drops of water  to 'emulsify' the balm and turn it into a more milky-looking liquid. I then remove it using a warm muslin cloth and some water. 

As someone who has always avoided any products that use water to remove them as they usually dry my skin out, I've been amazed. I've not had any of the normal 'tight' feeling I associate with water on my face and instead it's been left feeling really clean and super soft. 

The one warning I would give is to avoid using it on your eye area. The essential oils in it might make them sting a little, so to remove my eye makeup, I've been using my trusty Green People scent free cleanser first. 

You can also use the cleanser as a mask by leaving a slightly thicker layer on clean skin for 10 minutes. I've tried this and loved the result. 

The small 28g pot I was sent has lasted me for over a month, so I think the full size 105g version will last for ages! It retails at £39.50 which is expensive, but for 5/6 month's worth of cleanser, I'd definitely repurchase it again post-spending ban. 

Have you tried this cleanser? What do you think? 

*This post contains a PR sample. My thoughts are honest as always. 

Dear rude shop assistants...

Have you ever heard of customer service? I'm fed up with being ignored or looked down on when I come to try your products.

Does it take much to give me a little smile and ask if I need any help? I know we all have bad days but some of you seem permanently angry.

I've had it all: I've been ignored, you've pretended I wasn't there to continue your conversations with your colleagues and most amazingly of all, one of you walked away for your break whilst I was halfway through a foundation match, leaving me alone with a semi-made up face.

And hey, if I ask you if you have a sample of something to try at home, it's not because I'm trying to scam you out of product. It's because I actually have an interest in it and want to try it myself before handing you over my hard earned money. So how about you just smile and give me one instead of giving  looking at me like I killed your puppy?

I know you aren't all bad, in fact some of you are amazing, but the grumpy, rude sales assistants are on the rise. How about you drop the attitude so we can just talk about makeup instead?

The mid-week pamper session

Happy hump day! This evening I shall be celebrating moving into the second (more enjoyable) part of the working week by going crazy with all kinds of masks. Face masks, hair masks, you name it, I’m using it.

A mid-week pamper session really does the trick, so what are my picks this week?

Cowshed firming body butter – a freebie from this month’s InStyle magazine, I’m hoping this will help me along with all the work the 30 day squat challenge is doing for my bum. I’m determined to get a super firm ass before summer!

Abahna White Grapefruit and May Chang bath oil – really refreshing, this gives me a much needed uplift as well as leaving skin feeling silky smooth post-bath. Even my boyfriend loves the citrusy smell, so I’ve taken to hiding this in my wardrobe to stop him using it ‘accidentally’ (don’t tell him where it is!).

Aromatherapy Associates Hydrating Rose face mask – Another magazine freebie (loads of good ones this month!), this gives my dehydrated skin a much needed dose of moisture. I’ll be leaving this on whilst soaking in my delicious Abahna bath.

Phillip Kingsley Elasticizer – a pre-shampoo treatment, this is designed to give hair more body, plus locks in moisture. I’m used to using intensive conditioners after shampooing, so it will be interesting to see what a difference this makes.

What’s your mid-week treat?

Top 5 under £5

We all love a bargain. Like a lot of beauty bloggers I do love a high end product. However if I can find a product that does the same thing cheaper, I'll be purchasing the cheaper one!

I've picked my top 5 products that can all be bought for £5 each or less.

Batiste dry shampoo - This dry shampoo is always in my bathroom. Good for adding a bit of extra volume to hair as well as helpin to keep it fresh between washes, it comes in at a bargain £2.99.

Toni and Guy sea salt spray - perfect for creating a slightly tousled, beachy wave in your hair, this comes in both a travel size (around £2.50) and a large size (just over £5). In my opinion, this outclasses the far more expensive Bumble and Bumble version (full comparison here).

Topshop nail polish - with a polish in every colour, these are good quality and last well without chipping. Plain colours are £5, glitters £6.

Lacura under eye concealer - the best quality Touche Eclat dupe I've found for a long time, this concealer comes in 3 colours and retails at £3.59! Pick one up in your local Aldi. I actually make a special trip to mine to get my mitts on these.

Bourgois 1 second nail polish remover pot - At £4.99 this one just squeezes under the £5 mark. Perfect for removing polish quickly, I use this for any non-glittery nail colours and it removes them in seconds.

What's your favourite product under a fiver?

Wet n Wild milestones giveaway!

I've reached some really special milestones for me over the past week - I hit 200 Bloglovin followers, 100 Instagram followers and 1,000 Twitter followers, so to celebrate, I'm launching a little giveaway.

The prize consists of two Wet n Wild eye shadow trios, a Wet n Wild juicy cherry lip balm and a surprise bag of (UK branded) goodies. Just enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.

The Wet n Wild part of the prize :)

This giveaway is open internationally, so good luck to everyone! It will be running for  4 weeks, so you have plenty of time to get your entries in.

Thank you all for reading - it really means a lot that you enjoy my posts.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

W7 Africa bronzing powder

I’m not going to lie, I am easily swayed by packaging. I love pretty boxes and outlandish designs. The W7 Africa bronzing powder* not only fulfils my packaging dreams, but also makes me think affectionately of the Toto song every time I use it (if you are too young to know who Toto are, go google them, your life will then be complete).

Africa contains a mixture of pinks and brown powders, making it more of a cross between a bronzer and a blusher. Cute packaging aside, the product comes in a sturdy box, complete with it’s own (reasonable quality) brush, which when lifted off reveals the leopard print design product below.

How cute is that pattern?!

Africa blended out on the cheeks

The bronzer is a lovely light powder that goes on easily, and lasts about 6 hours on the skin. The colour is quite subtle, which is a surprise given the depth of colour in the box. It does have a subtle shimmer in it, so if you're after something matte, then this isn't for you

This is perfect for a fresh faced glow and I know it will be making a regular appearance in my makeup routine this summer.

The best thing of all is the price. W7 make a range of bargain makeup and this is no different. Africa retails for £3.99, but at the moment can be found on the Xtras website for just £3.40.

What do you think of this bronzer?

*This post contains a PR sample. My views are honest as always.

Umberto Giannini Backcomb hair kit

I don't know about you, but my hair is one area that seems to get a little neglected. It gets treated to masks, oils and all sorts, but when it comes to styling and up dos, I can just about manage a bun (and that's with a bun ring!). 

The new Umberto Giannini hair kits are designed to make creating beautiful up dos a little easier, by containing all of the things you need to create a look in one box.

The backcomb kit enables you to create lots of different backcombed styles, but offers instructions for a large backcombed bun look, reminiscent of the 1700s. Unfortunately my shoulder length hair was a little too short to create this successfully, so I decided to create a beehive instead.

The kit contents

Inside the kit you get: a back-coming brush, two types of hair grips, no snag elastic bands, a large donut style sponge ring (this clips together) and a smaller sausage shape sponge. You also get two decorative hair clips with feathers on to embellish your finished look. 

The backcombing in progress

The finished beehive

The back-combing brush was really good and quickly teased my fine hair. After backcombing all over, I gripped in the smaller sausage shape sponge at the back of my crown, keeping plenty of hair to comb over it to create the beehive. After lots of gripping and smoothing, I managed to get a cute little beehive! 

The kit is really easy to use and I like the fact that you get all the tools you need to create the featured look. The only thing I think that could've been included was a small can of hairspray to help keep it all in place. 

The kits retail for £12 and can be found in larger Boots stores. As well as the backcombing kit, there are also 'up do', 'vintage' and 'festival' styling kits to choose from. 

What do you think of this kit? 

Guest post: Bright Town Girl - my favourite blushes

Hello everyone I’m Alice from the blog Bright Town Girl. When Kat asked me to guest post I wasn’t sure what to write about but we both decided I should write about my top 5 blushes as apart from nail polish it’s one of my favourite beauty items.

I thought I would find it near impossible to choose just 5 but it turned out a lot easier than expected. It seems I have 5 blushes that I reach for on a regular basis or I reach for if I am just not sure what to wear. So these are the ones I am sharing with you today.

One of my all-time favourite blushes has to be Laura Mercier Peach Whisper. This is a matte peach blush that just adds a slight flush of colour to the cheeks. It is easy to wear and just adds a pop of colour to any look.

Another blush from Laura Mercier that has made it into my top 5 is Lush Nectarine. This is a gorgeous coral shade that gives a lovely glow to the cheeks and last all day. This is one of the many reasons why I love Laura Mercier blushes, it’s still there when I take my make up off at night.

If I am wearing a bright lip or a smokey eye I tend to go for a more subtle look on the cheeks. Tarte Blush in Exposed is one I reach for a lot. It is a pink/brown matte colour that sculpts the cheeks perfectly.

Another blush that has a similar effect is Liz Earle Nude. This has a bit more pink to it compared to expose but still acts like a contour more than a blush and gives the illusion of cheek bones.

Lastly is the blush in Expose from Illamasqua. I would describe this as a burnt orange colour which doesn’t sound that great but looks gorgeous on. It gives a lovely peach/orange colour to the cheeks which just brightens up your face. It is great for any time of the year and with any look.

So that’s my Top 5 blushes, I would say they are all fairly similar but they work well with my skin tone and I just love them all.

Do let me know what your favourite blushes are, I am always looking for new blushes.

A big thank you to Alice for sharing her favourite blushes - I've seen photos of her collection and it's huge! Make sure you check out her blog: Bright Town Girl.

#LDNBBMeet, Covent Garden trip and haul

On Monday, I went along to the London Beauty Blogger Meet, organised by Sophia from Tattooed Tea Lady. I was so excited to get to chat with some familiar faces, and also get to finally say hello to some people I've been talking to on Twitter for ages.

The Meat Liquor ladies

Alice, Charl, Charlotte, Gemma, Hannah and I met up beforehand for a catch up session and a cheeky trip to Meat Liquor before we headed off to meet everyone else at Selfridges.

At Selfridges  there were so many beauty bloggers! It was great saying hello to everyone, although I don't think we all got chance to have a good natter. We went into do a bit of shopping and I indulged on my first ever Illamasqua purchases.

I bought the Skin Base foundation and also the quad liquid metal palette as i'd been eyeing it up for weeks. I also took a leap and pick out my first ever OCC lip tar in a hot pink shade.

After Selfridges, 30 of us were whisked off to the She Said Beauty headquarters  They'd kindly laid on drinks and what seemed like an endless supply of mini cupcakes (I may have had more than one...).


Illamasqua, HD Brows, Filthy Gorgeous nails and Millie Mackintosh lashes were all there to give us demos and I was really excited to try out the Illamasqua speckled liner look.

We were all given a goody bag on the way out featuring all of the brands there from the evening, plus a Birchbox and some She Said Beauty goodies.

HD Brows

Trying the Illamasqua speckled liner

The finished look

Hanging out at She Said Beauty

The goody bag

As I was staying overnight in London with my Meat Liquor ladies, we decided the next day to pop to a few shops and make the most of our day there. I had a Liberty reward voucher to use up, so decided to get the Seche Vite quick dry top coat, plus also try the Hoofmaker hand cream. I also was lucky enough to get hold of a loyalty freebie from Anne Semonin, which was a little packet of freezable eye masks (more on these in another post).

Selfridges purchases

Liberty and Pixi goodies

The last purchase of the day was from the Pixi store in Carnaby Street. Alice had been raving about their glow tonic toner after seeing a glowing recommendation from Caroline Hirons and that was enough for us both to buy a bottle!

After all these purchases, we decided it would be a good idea to refresh ourselves over a Primrose Bakery cupcake. Yum!

I went home laden down with products, a very happy, but tired girl.

This is my last haul post for a while as I'm starting my spending ban, so let me know what you're favourite item is!

Why you need a Liberty loyalty card

Like beauty? Live in London? Then get yourself down to Liberty and sign up for one of their beauty loyalty cards.

At first glance, these might seem like any old store points card, and in principle they are, but these offer something a little extra special every so often.

I get an email from Liberty Beauty about once a month telling me my points balance (usually not much), but the most exciting thing is hidden near the bottom of their email.

Marked 'rush to counter', they frequently offer you a chance to try a product from a brand for free. All you've got to do is go to the counter and show your email/loyalty card and get one before stocks run out.

From emails like this, I've previously managed to try out Hourglass' Script eyeliner and on Tuesday got my hands on Anne Semonin's Eye Express Radiance Ice Cubes (worth £44!).

You have to be quick (I'm talking within 24 hours normally), so it's really only good if you live in London, but if you do, why not sign up and get one; they're free after all...

The one month spending ban

I find spending bans really hard. I tried to take part in one earlier this year and quite frankly, failed miserably. I've been thinking about doing another one for a while, and after getting home last night and hearing a visitor to my house had seen my stash in the bathroom and called it 'mental', I thought now was a good time to start!

My plan is to initially go for one month. I managed three weeks before, so really, this should be achievable (I say this now...). I've come up with a few rules to keep me on the straight and narrow.

The rules:

1. No buying beauty products. Unless I run out of an essential, then it's not being bought.

2. One magazine per week. I have a massive magazine habit and have quite a few stuck at home still unread. My aim is to stick to one per week to help ease the pain a little (especially as there are some good freebies coming up!).

3. Bring lunch to work at least twice per week. This will help me save more money, as at the moment I spend far too much on eating out at work.

So these are my rules. I'm going to start from tomorrow and ease myself in, but I want to last throughout the entire month of May. I'm going to a meet up in Brighton at the end of April so may allow myself a purchase then, but May will be a no-buy month!

I'll be keeping all my empties for the ban so I can see just how much of my stash I've used up, which I think will be quite an interesting experiment.

Some lovely ladies have also expressed an interest in extending their bans or joining me in a month long ban, and I've listed them below. If you'd like to take part too, just leave a comment below. The more the merrier!

@blogofshadows
@ironic_sparkles
@jenny_redhead
@beauty_balm
@OhNoItsBex
@ElspethDaisy
@allthatslap
Helen Gray
Angelica - One Little Vice
Been there, done that, got the lipstick
Honey Go Lightly

(Please excuse the haul I will be posting in the next few days from the #LDNBBMeet. This is also another reason why I never need to go shopping again!).

Aromatherapy Associates Inner Strength bath and shower oil

I'm a big fan of Aromatherapy Associates products. They're high quality, full of essential oils and smell divine.

Their new Inner Strength bath and shower oil* is no different. The oil was created by co-founder Geraldine Howard whilst she was receiving cancer treatment. She wanted to create something that would give her strength and courage, plus encourage a positive frame of mind, which would help her through the difficult time.

The oil contains clary sage, frankincense and cardamom and really does have an uplifting scent to it. Like all other Aromatherapy Associates oils I've tried, this one fragranced the whole bathroom, leaving it smelling wonderful. It's also not a greasy oil. I'm left with lovely soft skin after my bath, but I don't feel 'slippy' at all.

Inner Strength retails for £39 for 55ml, which is enough for approximately 20 uses. It is a luxury product at a high price, but I think it's worth it for a special bath treat. Additionally, 10% of proceeds from the Inner Strength oil are going to the Defence Against Cancer foundation, who are helping to develop a pioneering cancer vaccination.

Have you tried any Aromatherapy Associates bath oils before?

*This post contains a PR sample. My views are honest as always.

The Fragrance Shop Discovery Club

Over the past few years we've seen the rise (and fall) of monthly beauty box subscriptions. A little treat each month, these have proved to be really popular.

The Fragrance Shop have recently started a new fragrance discovery box*. These come out quarterly rather than monthly and include 5 perfume samples, plus a book of discounts (totaling £25) to spend on the perfumes inside.

The box costs £5 each quarter and contains small sample vials. I was quite impressed with the selection of fragrances inside - they included a selection from different brands including Vera Wang, Lacoste and Juicy Couture. 

I was a little disappointed not to receive at least one larger size sample in the box. I really like the concept of the box but I think that 5 vials that you can often pick up for free is a little stingy. Perhaps 3 sample vials and 2 larger samples would make this box better value for money. 

That said, I think this would make an excellent present. You could give the box to your chosen recipient and let them choose one of the perfumes from the box, and then purchase that for them as a gift. 

All in all, I feel a little on the fence. I'm not sure I would sign up for this service, mostly because I don't buy fragrances very often, but if you're a perfume fiend then this is definitely a good way to find new ones, plus get a discount if you find one that you like. 

What do you think of this box?

*This post contains a PR sample. My views are honest as always.