Spicy Winter Fragrances

I'm a massive fan of really spicy, oriental and musky fragrances and I think they're really suited to these cold and wintery months. If you, like me, always feel a bit run down in the winter and everything you try to wear, whether that be clothes or make up, seems tired then you should definitely fish out your darkest and most daring perfumes. Fragrances like the ones above really uplift my mood and make me feel sultry and grown up, which is always a bonus when you feel a bit deflated. 

The scents I'm about to review are some of my ultimate favourites, but as you all know frangrances are so hard to describe and smell different on everyones skin so these are just my personal opinions (: 

Midnight Poison by Dior 

I'll start of with my ultimate favourite of all time. I've been using this for absolutely years now, but I know it's not everyone's first choice. Midnight is an oriental scent which features notes of black rose, patchouli, amber and French vanilla. 

 For me, the vanilla, amber and patchouli scents are very predominant. It's spicy yet still slightly floral but gets muskier and woodier the longer you wear it. It's a very masculine fragrance, which is so ideal for me as it's what I love most, and it's not so sickly sweet which I find with most other perfumes. It's very long-lasting, both on the skin and in the bottle. I can still smell it hours after I've sprayed it and you don't need much, literally two spritz at the most. The thing I love the most is how indulgent it is to me and i'll forever use this. A very dry fragrance.

£64-£89 

 Gucci by Gucci 

Gucci claim that Gucci has fruity top notes of guava and pear, heart notes (the main body of the scent) of Tiare flower with honey, patchouli and musk. Now I personally can't identify the guava or pear but I can tell you that the initial spray is SO sweet which I don't really like. What I do like is the way this fragrance develops over time into a dark and masculine scent. It's very woody and musky after the first hour, so if you have this I definitely recommend that you spray this way before you actually leave the house. It's a long lasting scent, I can catch it on me hours after I've first sprayed it and I really like what I smell. A very classic chypre perfume!

£40-£72 

Belle D'Opium by Yves Saint Laurent 

The first thing i'll say about this is how pretty and elegant the bottle is, with its bright red wick. A good start, which then continues long after first use (not many agree with me though!) I think Belle is flagged as a 'floriental' fragrance but I would say it's completely oriental, there's only a really subtle floral scent when you first spray it. YSL have developed this with notes of Casablanca Lily, white pepper, jasmine and nargileh accord (like an oriental tabacco.) I do really like this, and I often pick up this over many others in my perfume collection, especially on a cold day/evening. It's instantly warming and is a very sexy and grown up perfume, and it also lasts for hours. Bonus. 

£44-£81

Secret Obsession by Calvin Klein 

This is the cheapest of my collection, I understand that the others break the bank a little so this is ideal as an afforadable option. It has top notes of plum, nutmeg and rose, mid notes of jasmine and orange blosson and finally base notes of cashmere woods, vanilla, burnt amber and Australian sandalwood. I would say this is a lot more modern than the others, probably a lot easier to wear day to day. This is a floriental fragrance, a lot more than Belle D'Opium and is a very romantic scent, the longer you wear it, the more floral it gets. It's quite a long lasting perfume and I really would recommend! I can't seem to find it at any department stores anymore, but fragrancedirect.co.uk do it for a lovely £21.95. 

 XXX

Brrr

It's been so cold the past few days, especially with the arrival of all this snow! I'm really not a fan of it, it's for difficult to get places because the buses just stop running (even if it's not bad!), it's wet, and it's especially horrible when it starts to melt and it's just grey sludge. But alas! It will not stop our plans so we must go on. 

My outfit today was quite a snug one, which seems to be a running theme with my last few looks. 

The knitted rollneck dress is actually a really dark navy, not black, and has horizontal blue glitter stripes running through it. It's so comfortable and lightweight as it's not a heavy knit, but a very thin one. It was from River Island several years ago so I can't remember the price exactly. My cardigan is from a charity shop, orignally from H&M. I really love the collar to this, it's so cosy and it looks really nice with a jacket as it hangs over it beautifully. 

My tights are some cheap woolen ones from Primark, which are also very comfortable and for two pairs for £4 I think you should all invest in some. 

My tan bag is from Matalan, also from a few years ago and my boots are suede and so lovely and warm! I've had them for literally years and years, so long that the brand has worn off so I don't actually know where they're from! 

 XXX

Snug As A Bug- Hooded Scarfs

I've been a big fan of the hooded scarf craze for a couple of years now, I got both of these above at least two years ago. I got the grey one from Primark for £8.00 but was discontinued after the christmas period but I've seen that recently they've bought them back in! They are pretty much exactly the same design and fit but they only colour that i've seen so far is a super bright orange which is lovely but unfortunately for me, is the exact same colour as my hair. Not a good look! They'll probably bring out new colours within the next few weeks, as the season progresses. My big-buttoned, lightweight grey cardigan is from H&M which I got several years ago!

The second scarf was a gift from my mum two christmasses ago from River Island. I'm unsure of the exact price but I know it was quite pricey, between £40-£70 I think. If you manage to come across one like this then I assure you its a great investment! It's so warm and cosy and if you, like me, suffer from ear ache in the winter from all that cold, then this really does the job to solve it. The outer layer is a really fluffy leopard print faux fur and the inside is like a big knitted jumper that comes in this really cute white and brown fairisle pattern. My cream, chunky cardigan is from a charity shop but was originally from new look.

I've tried to find one like this for you but I can't :(! But worry not, I have found some alternatives.

River Island are currently selling three variations of the hooded scarf, a gold and brown stripe one £28.00 £10.00, a black and grey ribbed stitch one £32.00, and a dark grey flower ears one which has been reduced to £12.00. 

If you wanted an animal one, then H! by Henry Holland do this adorable panda one. Complete with ears! 

Happy shopping beautifuls.

XXX

Winter Shopping

Hello Ladies (:

 Here's a new outfit post for you all. OH and by the way, there is no suitable place in my house (i.e no blank walls, no open spaces with natural light) which is why i'm taking photographs in my room, and I promise i'll get rid of all that stuff on my door in future posts because I know it's quite distracting! Right so, new outfit! I wore this out for shopping last friday, pretty effortless but still all snug and nice for winter.

I got the wool shorts from Primark, who had only had them in for a week before they reduced them down to £5 (originally £12!) so I took the chance to snap a pair up before they all sold! They've got a sweet little aztec type pattern on and comes with a brown bow belt.

  I've been trying to find you an alternative just in case you don't have access to a Primark or if they've sold out but I can't seem to find anything similiar. Aztec patterns are usually more readily avaliable in the summer seasons!

I'm wearing this beautiful flowered lace blouse over the top of a plan black, long sleeved Primark t shirt which I purchased for a stupidly cheap £2.00. 

I got this blouse as a gift for christmas from Sophie, so you'll have to ask her about price! However it's from a brand called Amber Krystal London which you can find in Ark stores and online. 

I've also found some lovely alternatives for you just in case you can't find this one (:

Save 

Mela Black Lace Long Sleeve Shirt- New Look£22.00 £10.00

Spend 

Black Wet Look Lace Sheer Shirt- River Island £35.00 £20.00

 Splurge

Petites Chain Lace Shirt- Miss Selfridge £37.00

My tights are just some cheap boxed black ones from Primark and my shoes were a real bargain from Matalan! They're creeper like, in a sense that they have a platform but are ballet pump rather than the sterotypical creepers.

They also sell them in blue for £6.00 in the sale, and black with leopard in-soles and all over leopard print for £10.00.

Mine are also £10.00 but were shoved on the £6 sale rail so therefore got them for the reduced price!

Just a re-cap!

-Wool Blend Aztec Shorts- Primark £12.00 £5.00 

-Long Sleeve, Plain Black T Shirt- Primark £2.00

-Black Flowered Lace Sheer Blouse- Amber Krystal (ARK) Price Unknown, Ask Sophie!

-Black Creeper Ballet Pumps- Matalan £10.00  

xxx