Friday Favourites - Flowers

Flowers are a cheap and easy way of adding colour to you home, They are pretty and bright and can add a sense of fun to a room. Flowers always make me feel better, depending on my mood is dependent on what colours I will buy. The one thing I always love though are tulips. A lot of people and even florist don't like tulips but I do, I love the colours and the shape and I love that as they get older the tips get whiter. With the exception of roses and lilies flowers can last almost 2 weeks and I've even had bunches that just refuse to wilt. Tulips are my number one choice and then I like roses but as I just said they don't really last as long. I'm a strong believer in getting value for money so the longer they last the happier I am.


If they are bought for me as a gift, as a surprise from my husband or if I just buy them myself as a little treat, they are one of my loved in my home. I've even bought plants on occasion, I just have no green thumb so they die pretty quickly. Supermarkets offer a wide choice of flowers now and though they are still seasonal there are a lot that you get all year round. a £5 bunch now and then is a worth expenditure too add the smell and colour and life to my home.

Friday Favorites - Blush

 I never used to use blush, my cheeks were always so red that even with a layer of foundation the redness would show. Over the last few years the brightness has toned itself down. My cheeks are still rather red but with a primer and foundation it almost matches the rest of my face and I've been able to start playing around with blush and bronzers.

A. Benefit Coralista    B. Blush Rose Gold    C. Natio Duo - Beige    D. Natio Duo - Mocha

 These above are my current popular go to choices. Firstly Benefits Coralista which I spotted in boots last year. Months went by and either I couldn't find it or I didn't have the money to buy it. Christmas came and thankfully my best friend has the foresight to put it in my hamper and I haven't looked back. It can be built up for a more dramatic look but is great just add that nice shade to your cheeks. It is what it said it is, its a coral colour with a slight shimmer that is great for spring days out.

 Sleeks offering of a lovely shade called Rose Gold is just divine, its pink with some gold pigment woven into it, I love just brushing it on the apple of my cheeks and up my cheek bone line to give it the best chance of catching the light. It has become my go to blush and for £5 who can argue if you run out. Like the Coralista it can be build up for a more striking appearance or you can just brush it on gently for a more elegant and subtle effect. I also quite like giving this a sweep between my eye make up and brow bone to add a little colour and make my eye pop,

 Finally a duo from Natio called sunshine. It has one very light beige powder with a little glitter that I have found great for highlighting or for brushing over other blush if you have gone a little heavy. The other choice in the case is a mocha that is very complimentary for light skin especially if you use it as an under colour for another blush. However its when you use them in tandem is when you see that they are designed to be together. I can create a shadow effect that makes me look like I have much deeper cheeks than I do.

 There are a plethora of choices in blush and I tend to stick to more neutral ones. Ones that I can play with, mix and build up to create whatever look I want to achieve.  Adventurous or safe these are just a few that will remain in my make up arsenal.

Friday Favorites - Perfumes

Today I thought I would share my favorite perfumes from ones I wear everyday to what I save for a special occasion.

The first three are my everyday, they are all fruity or floral and not to overpowering. I fell in love with Lady Gaga Fame when it first came out, so I instantly asked for a bottle for Christmas. I have two more bottles ready to go when this is finished. not that I'm expecting for there to be a sudden shortage, It was just one of those things, I was almost out of my first bottle, I asked a friend to buy me another one as a gift and I found the other on offer and could not leave it there. A fusion of dripping honey, saffron and apricot nectar with a floral layer of crushed tiger orchid & jasmine, The perfume is sweet and floral without being sickly, plus it's a black liquid that dries clear, perhaps a touch of mystery that is reminiscent of Gaga herself.

The Katy Perry Killer Queen was a love hate when I first smelled it, though it may have more to do with the fact my nose was filled with trying out ten other perfumes before I got to it on its stand. I actually walked away disinterested with it and it was only when I went back into the perfume shop and tried it first that it hit a note with me. The initial smell of fruits such as dark plum, wild berry and bergamot and changing into the floral combination of velvet flower, rainbow plumeria and natural jasmine are a play full and delightful mixture.

Onto Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy which is not as rich or quite as intoxicating as killer Queen or Fame, but it is a little more fresh. The downside is that it does not last as long as the others either, however it is cheaper and generally on offer so the downside is outweighed by the ease of getting it. The overall fruity smells of black cherries, framboise, exotic plum and undertones of orchid, freesia flirts and velvet iris makes it a crisp and lusty scent.

The next grouping are my more woody smelling perfumes. I first had Armani Mania bought for me when I was 18 from my aunt and it has become my absolute favorite perfume of all time. It is expensive so I only use it for special occasions, the above bottle is 18 months old and I hope to make it last to Christmas because then I can ask for it a present. Why do I love it so much? for me its just a perfect blend that makes it both sensual and sophisticated. A fresh burst of Moroccan laurel  mingled with florals and sensual cedar, sandalwood, amber and musk for a fragrance that is unsurpassed.





Lastly the cheapest option on my table is from Next and is simply called Gold. Golden flower nectar's, sweet vanilla and molten amber gives it a slightly musky aura that is perfect for a little more of a spicy smell to change it up from the sweet, floral and fruity choices that I normally make.

This is only half of my perfume collection and if asked if I have to many I will always maintain that variety is the spice of life.