NEW CANDIDATES FOR THE PERFUME WARDROBE!

A bunch of new fragrances are on their way for both men and women alike one of which I think is a perfect unisex fragrance even though it’s targeted at the male market. At the Perfume Shop‘s Christmas in July press day we spotted a fair few that we want in our perfume wardrobe!

Inspired by his love of polka dots Marc Jacobs ‘Dot’ includes a delectable blend of red berries and dragon fruit with a lush heart of coconut water and finishing with a base of creamy vanilla. Elegantly crafted in a transparent, red tinted glass bottle; the design channels the spirit of Marc Jacobs’ trademark look.

With Alexander Skarsgard as the face of Calvin Klein ‘Encounter’ how could you go wrong?! The new sensual scent for the man who takes risks and pushes limits. A sensual woody cocktail, Encounter opens with a dry base of agarwood and sexy musk, followed by an encapsulating heart of cognac and Egyptian jasmine which leaves you wanting more with top notes of indulgent rum and cardamom. The sophisticated packaging is reflective of sleek masculine styling, the dark blue bottle features sharp angles as part of the elegant architectural design.

The Joop! Homme Wild! man is instinctively sexy with raw passion oozing through his pores. A masculine concoction of tobacco, absolute rum and pink pepper. This is a fragrance that like the iconic boyfriend shirt and boyfriend jeans every girl will want to steal from their man!

Go for classic fantasy and glamour with Yves Saint Laurent’s ‘Manifesto’, the new fragrance is described as spontaneous and free-spirited. The fragrance fronted by actress Jessica Chastain features notes of jasmine, lily of the valley, blackcurrant, cedar, sandalwood, vanilla, and Tonka bean.

Guerlain’s ‘La Petite Robe Noire’ is the perfect party accessory, ideal for ‘French hens’ in Paris of Mayfair chicks in London. An infusion of pink and black accords and fruity and floral scents for a perfume rich black cherry, liquorish and black rose; perfectly presented in a delicate rose tinted bottle, complete with an imprint of the classic LBD!

Go on an international adventure with DKNY ‘Hearts the World Collection’, the newest collection from DKNY promises to transport you to three of the biggest fashion capitals in the world! Choose from New York, London and Paris!

We also heard of a couple of new releases of which we couldn’t even see the bottles yet, top secret! James Bond has a new fragrance coming out called 007; now do we class this as a celebrity fragrance??? Not sure, what I am sure of is it smelt damn good! Incorporating hints of apple, lavendar and rose thorn. Another was a new scent from Hugo Boss Nuit Pour Femme for which Gweneth Paltrow will be fronting the campaign, looking forward to seeing the finished product as I’m a huge fan of all the men’s fragrances but this is the first Hugo Boss scent I’ve liked for women. It’s set to be the female equivalent of Boss Bottled with delicate notes of white peach, jasmine, and crystal moss.

CURL CONTROL!

I think we can all agree (all of us with curly hair that is) that it isn’t easy finding the right products for curly hair. Everybody’s curls are different and whether you like them perfectly defined or big and bushy, it can be costly and frustrating to sift through all the products that don’t do what you want them to.

This is precisely the reason why I’ve been wearing my hair up for the last 2 years! But I’m ready for a change again and with an array of new ranges specifically for curly hair from well established brands, I thought I’d give it a go!

Moroccan Oil Curl Control Mousse & Curl Defining Cream

The mousse defined the shape of my curls beautifully. Whether you just blot your hair with a towel or comb it through, this product will bring back the definition in an instant – air dry for super defined curls without that crunch or blow dry for a softer look.

The cream does a similar job, but gives a bit less hold. I’d say it’s more suited to coarser hair or looser curls. It smells amazing!

Aussie Dual Personality Curl Defining + Shine Mousse

One of my favourites! Does exactly what it says; gives really nice definition, shine and body to the hair without weighing it down.

Fekkai Perfectly Luscious Curls range

I can’t fault the shampoo and conditioner with grape seed oil and Moroccan rose. My hair felt nice and soft. The Curl Shaper Cream brought out the curls nicely. My hair is quite fine though and needs a bit more hold, so I’d say this is probably a good option for those with slightly thicker hair.

Wella Professionals Enrich Range

This is a great range on the conditioning side of things! If you’re hair is dry and damaged from heat styling or colouring you want to use the Moisturising Treatment or Repair Serum. It will get your locks back to feeling soft and silky in no time.

There’s also a Moisturising Shampoo, Detangling Spray and Bouncy Foam which all do a good job while nourishing your hair!

Wella Professionals Curl Craft

This wax mousse gives great definition and hold without making hair feel crunchy or dry. I would imagine this to be great for coarser hair textures or if your hair grows more up and out and you’d like it to drop a bit more. Use the mousse sparingly though as it is waxy and might leave your hair slightly on the greasy side.

I realise that for most of you it will probably still boil down to trial and error as hair texture varies from person to person, but hopefully I have at least narrowed your search down to a handful of products!

PHILIPP UEBERFELLNER

THE SCENT OF DEPARTURE

A new collection of fragrances has been developed by perfumer Gerald Ghislain along with creative partner Magali Senequier. The concept is a fragrance for each if your favourite destinations around the world, taking certain elements and bottling it up. Both music and scents are great reminders of a certain person, place and/or time so The Scent of Departure is a genius concept. The 1.7 oz skyscraper bottle was inspired by a luggage tag, and features the 3 IATA code letters of the city it represents; LDN for London, CDG for Paris (Charles de Gaule), NYC for New York City, HKG for Hong Kong, and so on and so forth.

We managed to speak to Gerald Ghislain, who mentioned there would be additional fragrances added to the collection “Las Vegas is all about the money and the glam so I based this fragrance on a cocktail, and Iceland white smoke for the volcano and it’s incredibly flat over there with no greenery.”

Our personal faves were Vienna (fresh mint cut grass, water flowers with pastries, vanilla, licorice, chocolate, and coffee); Bali (manderin and lemon notes with white florals, amber wood, and final touches of creamy vanilla); and Abu Dhabi (a mix of antiquity and modernity, notes of bergamot, jasmine, and amber).

The Scent of Departure is available from Harvey Nichols and TheScentofDeparture.com now, £35 50ml EDT.

LILY LILO LAUNCH NEW NATURAL LIPSTICK COLLECTION


Lily Lolo’s new Natural Lipsticks are luxuriously creamy, with natural Vitamin E and rosemary extract to protect and nourish lips whilst providing an unbeatable splash of colour. The British mineral makeup brand have added this new category to their collection of ethically sourced, mineral makeup in six must-have shades.

INTENSE CRUSH – An on-trend coral peach shade that will bring your look bang up to date
DEMURE – A natural, understated peachy beige that is perfect for adding subtle definition and plumpness to lips
ROMANTIC ROSE – An easy-to-wear bold rose pink that delivers rich rosy colour to lips
LOVE AFFAIR – A dusky pinky brown that mimics and emphasises the natural colour of your lips for the ultimate pout
FRENCH FLIRT – A juicy mid-toned red perfect for warm skin tones
DESIRE – Our deepest, most intense shade of red with a cool, intense finish

Celebrity makeup artist Nadira V Persaud says: “These super smooth, ready to wear lipsticks have a shade to suit every mood; for red hot lips choose Desire or for something chic and sweet French Flirt is your go-to shade.”

I want them all!!!

NEW Natural Lipsticks are long-lasting and leave your lips gorgeously kissable; priced at £7.99 from www.lilylolo.co.uk

DIOR ADDICT MINI FILM FT DAPHNE GROENEVELD

Super model Daphne Groeneveld stars in Dior’s latest mini film for the fragrance Dior Addict. The feature is reminiscent of films from the early 60s, you know those Technicolour films with the hand cut fonts and the cute girl that’s innocently sexy yet extremely flirty? The film was shot by Jonas Akerlund on a beach, with Daphne soaking up in the sun in a hot black vintagesque bikini. Later on we see her strutting through Mediterranean streets in a black tee and capri pants a la Audrey Hepburn, and sipping on a Cranberry juice with a cat on her head.