Unencrypting The Fragrance Code | Notes

I always read about fragrance, and what scents they contain to see if I can actually pull any specific scents out. It help me describe them a little better if I need to, and I like to know what I smell like. 

It took me so long to realize that, without a little research , I'm never going to really understand the notes of fragrance , and what I'm actually meant to smell like at various stages of wearing a fragrance.  

A fragrance is structured almost like a pyramid with three layers. The top notes are a the top of the pyramid, the heart notes site in the middle and the base notes are at the bottom .

Top Notes are smelt the moment you put the fragrance on. They can still be detected after you've worn it for a while but the intensity fades after you've had the fragrance on for about 10-15 minutes. It's always best to try a fragrance and smell it again after about 15 minutes to make sure you like all the notes in the perfume. 

Heart Notes, or middle notes, and in the middle and last for most of the time that you can detect the fragrance on your skin. The scents you find in here are probably the most 'present' notes in the fragrance and are considered the most dominant scents. If you smell a fragrance, these are the most likely notes you can pull out and name. They become more present as the fragrance warms to the skin, and last longer than the top notes. They can also sometimes be called the body notes.

Base Notes are the bulk of the fragrance and are the longest lasting notes in the fragrance. They can be detected after about half and hour, so when you test something give it some time to sit on your skin before you purchase.   They are used to support the middle notes to make it a more rich and complex scent. 

 The last little thing I wanted to talk about are body lines. This might be pretty obvious to some, but I never even knew that they lotions and potions that go along with a fragrance had a name but they do. The body lines are essentially the products with the same scents like body lotions/creams/butter, deodorants and shower gels. They allow for the layering of the fragrance making the scent linger just the bit longer than it would with other scented products mixing in with the perfumes notes. 

 Follow Me
twitter | bloglovin | hello cotton | tumblr | pinterest

P.S: I have a giveaway running at the moment to day thank you for following my little ol' blog! Check it out here!  
 

RANT | Pet Peeves from a Shop Assisstant

I just feel the need to have a little rant about some people. I work in a retail environment and I love it. I like interacting with people and it's really helped me, my anxiety and confidence. Most customers are brilliant; they are polite and say thanks and have a nice little chat but there are always those people that need a good ol' smack upside the head. It costs nothing to be polite, and life would just be that little bit better. I just wanted to list my top pet peeves to just out it out there! 

1. Don't pay for that 55p item with a £20 note and not even say sorry about it. I'm fine if you say sorry I don't have anything smaller, but if can see you have smaller money in your wallet/purse I'm not going to be best pleased, and you will be getting small change so it weighs you down. 
   
2.  Don't answer the phone when you're being served. Waiting that extra 20 seconds isn't going to hurt, and it's just a little rude. The worst thing is answering when you're mid conversation with me, but coming to the till while talking on the phone and expecting me to be a freaking mind reader over what you want is not okay.
   
3. Take your headphones off! I listen to music if I'm shopping on my own, but when I reach the cash desk, I take them out! I'm not going to shout at you, and I'm not a mind reader.
   
4. If my hand is out or free, please don't put cards or coins on the counter! It just makes things harder to pick up and makes this whole process longer than it needs to be. 


5. Please be prepared to pay! If you have to stand in a queue for 5 minutes, please get your money out. It really bugs me when people get to the counter, and then take ages finding money and cards. If you know you have a points card for a shop, get it out in preparation. I've had people search for a points card for about 10 minutes, while other people wait. I've had to call other members of staff to serve the other customers. It's not cool, and you're just holding everyone up.
   
6.  Don't try and hold your purchases from me. I know it might be embarrassing that your buying sexual aids and things like that but I have to scan it and I know what you're buying. I don't care, people buy it every day.
   
7. Number 6 leads me onto this one. Please don't ask me about condoms and various other sexual products when you don't need to. I've had one to many creepy old men argue over the amount of xl condoms in a box and if sexual aids need extra batteries and how often do they need to be replaced. Dude,I know you can read, and seriously, with the condoms, don't keep kidding yourself.
   
8. Would it hurt you to say hello or thanks? It cost nothing! Nothing!! I get that you could be shy or you could just be an asshole but at least acknowledge that I'm a human. I don't appricaite rudeness. I put up with it because it's my job and it's how I afford to eat and not live on the streets, but if I could I'd give rude people a good peace of my mind.
   
9.  It's not my fault that the price of something is wrong! I know it's not nice, but don't treat me like I've just slapped you or kicked your dog. I can't help it. I just work here, I don't purposefully put out wrong price to make you look silly or anything. It's a genuine mistake by the company, and if you're nice it's a simple process to get someone to fix it for you. You will get it at the advertised price, but being nice about it will make sure you get the cheaper price in a much easier way!
   
10. Number 9 leads on to this one perfectly as well! Do NOT shout at me or get pissy with me if you read something wrong, or if we have no stock. I can't help if we don't have stock. I apologize, and suggest places you might get it. I cannot do anymore than that so please don't shout. You're lucky I can't shout back, because something I really want to. Also, if you read something wrong and I have to tell you that don't get angry. I understand that things are crowded on a shelf, and it's easy to misread a price or offer, but I can't change the price/offer if you've read it wrong. Just be graceful about it, because you'll look like a knob when things get heated. 

This is true but in no way meant to offend anyone. I just hope that you treat people who work in shops in a way you would want to be treat. I know I'm paid to be there but that doesn't meant you can treat me like crap. 

Thanks for reading, and I hope it either made you chuckle or smile or something other than making you want to throw vegetables at me head. 
 

Follow Me 

twitter | bloglovin | hello cotton | tumblr | pinterest

P.S: I have a giveaway running at the moment to day thank you for following my little ol' blog! Check it out here!  

P.P.S: I've heard so many rumors about GFC going away, so maybe pop over to bloglovin and give me a follow there to keep up to date with my blog! 

Maybelline Lipstick | Rich Plum

I wanted to get this review but before the seasons changed and it's not really the time to wear this kind of lippy anymore! This lipstick is a great transitional colour for me. It's not the deep purple/red shade that everyone went crazy over this winter, but it's still got a nice winter richness to it. 

I cannot describe colours to save my life, but for something called Rich Plum, I wouldn't say this is a plum lipstick. It's a nice wearable colour, and it has an packaging. 

I think Maybelline always great on the packaging front, and this lipstick is not different. The bullet twists down the entire way, so damage is minimal. The outside case is plastic, but it doesn't feel cheap or anything like that. 

 

It's beautifully pigmented. The swatch underneath is just one swipe of the lipstick, and I think it's really opaque for one swipe. You'll have to excuse the slightly out of focus picture, but it does give an idea of the colour. As I said, this is my winter  to early spring so that I can hold onto the more pigmented, dark shades a little longer! 

  

You can find these in Boots and Superdrug for £7.19.

 

Follow Me
twitter | bloglovin | hello cotton | tumblr | pinterest

What Actually is Micellar Water?

Having heard people go on and on about Micellar water I decided to actually look into what it is! As a little project for myself I've decided that I'm going to be more careful with what I put on my skin, and I'm going to try and understand what specific products can do for me. 

Anyway, micellar water is a cleansing water that originates from France. It's supposed to be gentle on the skin, but effective at cleansing away the makeup of that day. The product itself, while seemingly as simply of water, is a blend of microscopic oils and water. Don't let the word oil put you off though. It's not like those products where you have to mix the oil and water, and it doesn't even have a hint of an oily texture. It simply feels like water, but it has that great power of an oil based cleanser. It's gets rid of makeup and grim on the skin, and leaves the skin feeling refreshed and toned. 

source

I would probably say Bioderma is the most popular micellar water that you hear of but, whilst cheap in France, it can be hard to get hold of in the UK and when you do it tends to be on the pricey side of things. But, don't worry! If you can't get the France or don't want to pay the price of Bioderma you can quite easily get a hold of some of this miracle product. 

The beauty world is going to crazy for this bad boy, and I see it being the next BB cream. I'm sure soon most brands will have their own version that they claim is unique in some way, but the newest one on my radar if the B.Pure Micellar Water. It's available in Superdrug, where B. is sold exclusively, and it's under a fiver. It might be worth a try if you want to see if these products are worth the hype they are getting.   

Follow Me 

twitter | bloglovin | hello cotton | tumblr | pinterest

P.S: I have a giveaway running at the moment to day thank you for following my little ol' blog! Check it out here!  

P.P.S: I've heard so many rumors about GFC going away, so maybe pop over to bloglovin and give me a follow there to keep up to date with my blog! 

Rimmel Gel Eyeliner Reveiw | Black & Aubergine

Rimmel London Glam Eyes Gel Eyeliner in Black and Aubergine, £6.49. link

I've been getting into gel eyeliners recently! I never really used to use eyeliner on my top lash line, but after trying it a few times, getting a method of application down and finding a good brush to apply it with I really like having liner on the upper lash line. 

I picked up these two liners in Superdrug after trying to find a good, cheap liner that was actually good. The best I've found so far is the Maybelline Gel Eyeliner, but these are a close second. The only reason these do hit to top spot is because they can transfer and I'm not a fan of the packaging. 

The Maybelline liner feels expensive to me, and these just don't. I think it's the brush/lid combo that makes it feel cheaper and less luxurious. The brush is great for touch ups, or if you have the skills to use it but for a beginner like me it's just not a good brush. It's very wide and I end up with liner everywhere! 

I have had these transfer onto my upper lid a few times, but it only seems to happen when I apply them with a heavy hand and the product takes a little longer to set. Other than than, they are pretty great at staying in place. The intensity on the colour remains through out the day, and they are pretty darn pigmented for drugstore liners. The black is more so than then purple, but I'm impressed with both. 

The texture is gorgeous. These are more gel like than most I've tried, and glide on smoothly. I find that some can be creamy and a little stiff, making it hard to get a nice, clean line on the upper lid. The gel-likeness about this liner makes it easy to get a smooth, crisp line.  

  
I would recommend these to anyone who wants to give gel liner a try, and wants something other than plain ol' black. I believe they also do a brown and blue shade if you fancy giving those a try. You can get the purple here and the black here for £6.49 each.  

 

Follow Me
twitter | bloglovin | hello cotton | tumblr | pinterest

From BB To CC | Just another fad?

So, I'm sure you're all bored of hearing about BB Creams. I think nearly every brand has their own verison of the same thing and it's kind of boring now! 
BB creams are nice products don't get me wrong, but they claim to be this miracle thing and I just don't think they are. Well, the western ones aren't as amazing as they claim. Sure, they give me a little bit of mositure, sun protection and a little bit of coverage but I was getting that before so why buy the same thing all over again? And the products I used before were better tailored to my skin needs and wants. 

Now that BB creams have worn out their welcome, cosmetics companies have seized the opportunity to build upon the craze. CC cream (colour correction creams for those not in the know) are creams that correct colours on the face like darkness, redness and dullness.

L'Oreal are perhaps the most popular at the moment but brands like Chanel and Nip Fab are jumping on the band wagon. I'm not sure Chanel and other brands alike are quite like the l'oreal ones, but they are the only ones I've had the opportunity to try. 

I didn't buy them, because while they might colour correct they are far to dark for my skin. I won't go into to much details on L'Oreal specifics because I want to do a review on them but I just wanted to make a post discussing the introduction of CC creams and ask you your opinion on them. 

Are they just another fad? Are they just a silly result of people and companies capitalizing on the BB cream craze? 

Are they worth they hype they have been getting? Are they the next genius product? 

Will you be buying one? Have your tried one? I look forward to talking to you all about these because I'm not sold on them. Leave a comment or tweet me!

Follow Me 

twitter | bloglovin | hello cotton | tumblr | pinterest

P.S: I have a giveaway running at the moment to day thank you for following my little ol' blog! Check it out here!  

P.P.S: I've heard so many rumors about GFC going away, so maybe pop over to bloglovin and give me a follow there to keep up to date with my blog! 

Unencrypting The Fragrance Code | Scent Groups

I've read descriptions of fragrances so many times, and not really understood it all. Some of the terms are pretty  basic, especially scent groups like Floral or Citrus but when they start throwing worlds like Fougere at me, I'm lost. 

To go with a couple of other posts I have posted or have planned I thought I would add a little description of what scents groups actually are and give you a few examples so you can put words with scents. 
  
Floral
This is pretty obvious, and the one thing I did understand when reading about fragrances. It's probably the most popular group of fragrances for women and the scent is created from flowers. These kind of scents are general considered to be delicate and ultra feminine. They are slight more sophisticated than others can be and are quite romantic.

Paul Smith Rose is a good example of a classic floral scent. 
   
Fougere
Fougere is a French word for fern and describes scents that have notes of wood and mossy/herbal elements in them. Basil, Sage, Lavender and Oakmoss are often included in the formulas, and these scents are predominantly male fragrances. They can be quite bitter and sharp but they do work really well for male scents.

These types of fragrances are often joined with oriental scents and Jean Paul Gautier Le Male is a good example of this scent group. 

  Chypre 
This is another French word, which probably didn't help my confusion. I'm a bit dense when it comes to languages that aren't English. Well, in fact, I'm a bit dense when it comes to English too. Anyway, it means Cyprus in French and this group actually has 'creator'. Francois Coty created this with elements that reminded him of Cyprus. These types of fragrances contain woodsy scents like tuberose, sandalwood and patchouli and have some leathery type undertones.They are recognizable from that 'warm' scents you get with fragrances.

These scents works well when paired with things of floral nature, and a good example of a Chypre fragrance is Dior Poison. 


Citrus 
This is another obvious group, I know. I won't talk to much on it. I'm sure you all know that lemon, grapefruit and tangerine types scents are going to be present in these fragrances. CK1 (my favourite perfume EVER) and Elizabeth Arden Green Tea are great examples of these types of fragrances. They are slightly more subtle  citrus scents, but if you want in your face citrus then try Lacoste Joy of Pink. 

If you couldn't tell from the multiple recommendations, this is my favourite scent group. The scents are generally summery, uplifting and have a nice tang to them. They can lend themselves to both sexes and are just all around fabulous.  

 
Oriental 
This scent group confused me to no end and I have no clue why. It's not hard to understand but this is what prompted me to look up scent groups in the first place. Anyway, these kinds of fragrances are warm and spicy. They can be quite sensual and tend to dominate the male fragrances. They often have notes of vanilla and musk alongside cinnamon and pepper type scents. 

Woods, flowers and spices are main notes you can normally pick out in oriental fragrances. Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb and D&G The One for men are great examples of these fragrances.
      
Gourmand  
I didn't know what this was before this, but I get it know. This fragrance group is probably the newest for the bunch and describes scents that are based around food. The scents that are used in fragrances range from sweets like chocolate and caramel, to drinks like coffee and whiskey and they also describe fruity scents like cherry. 

These scents  are often very sweet and fruity, but fruit based scents are now practically a group of their own.  The fragrances like Britney Spears Fantasy and Kylie Minogue Sweet Darling are examples of Gourmand fragrance which are modern and rich. 


Follow Me
twitter | bloglovin | hello cotton | tumblr | pinterest

P.S: I have a giveaway running at the moment to day thank you for following my little ol' blog! Check it out here!  

P.P.S: I've heard so many rumours about GFC going away, so maybe pop over to bloglovin and give me a follow there to keep up to date with my blog! 

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer | Ivory

Let's start with a simple statement, shall we? Best concealer ever! I find it really hard, being a pale patty, to find a concealer that is lighter than my skin tone to brighten under the eyes. I've found the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer covers what I need it to but it doesn't brighten like I want it to!

I've tired many under eye concealers, but I just cannot find one that matches my skin tone and brightens. This one does! It's blends into my foundation nicely, it brightens up my under eyes like nobodies business and it lasts all damn day.   

I seriously cannot rave enough about this, and if your pale I would suggest giving the Ivory shade a shot!  The colour range is limited which sucks for darker skin tones I must admit but if you find yourself with a pale to light/medium skin tone I would highly recommend checking this out. It's not to expensive, and Rimmel is usually on offer in either Boots or Superdrug. 

Bring only 19 myself concealer doesn't tend to crease on me and their aren't really that many lines for it to settle into, but if concealer tends to crease on you I would recommend giving this a quick dusting of powder to set it into place. If you want some recommendations on some great powders, check my top powder post here. 

 Follow Me
twitter | bloglovin | hello cotton | tumblr | pinterest

P.S: I have a giveaway running at the moment to day thank you for following my little ol' blog! Check it out here!