Coventry Bloggers – The Body Shop Event*

Oh man I have been M.I.A. this past week and I am so sorry! I’ve been a mixture of poorly and too busy with personal life to do any blog work.

FINALLY THOUGH I am here and I am talking about an amazing blogger event I attended last Friday, which the gorgeous Emily over at Drained Beauty organised.

As the title reads, this was for the Coventry Bloggers community, which I’m proud to be a part of! I know, I’m not from Coventry BUT Dane is so we both visit the area regularly.

I was so excited for the event and made sure to leave work early so I could get to the event in good time. This is my first (and hopefully not last!) blogger event of 2018, so I couldn’t wait for 4pm to hit so I could leave work and make my way to Coventry.

Can I just say, the weather was so shit as I got off of the train in Coventry, it was chucking it down so I legged it from the station to the town centre. Thankfully it wasn’t raining on my way home, even though I’d bought an umbrella as soon as I got to Primark. MEH!

Anyway! I got to the event with about 15-20 minutes to spare and got to meet the lovely ladies who would be attending the event. I just want to say, the Coventry blogger babes who were at the event are by far some of the nicest I have ever met! I’ve been to many events in the past and whilst I’ve met some absolute beauts, they weren’t as friendly and chatty as the girls were last week.

Not only were the bloggers at the event lovely, but the two members of staff were also amazing. They were approachable throughout the event about all sorts and were thorough whenever they were talking about certain products. So thank you so much girls for holding an amazing event!

Right, onto the event itself now! I’ll be talking about all the new products we heard about, as well as what I got in my cute little goodie bag and what I bought.

The event itself worked out that we would have a nose around the shop, talk amongst ourselves, to one another and the staff all whilst trying certain products.

The first new product we were shown and told about is the limited edition banana range! I’ve already spoken about this on my blog and even reviewed the body yogurt (which you can read here).

Although The Body Shop has banana hair care in their permanent range, the body care is sadly only limited edition and I assume will be around until the Christmas stock is out. I’ll be sad when it goes, especially the body butter and body yogurt.

In the range there’s three items shower cream, body butter and body yogurt. The girls were telling us how banana is great for dry skin due to how rich in potassium they are. This helps to repair and hydrate dry and damaged skin. After hearing about the banana range and how amazing it is, we were offered demonstrations with both the body butter and body yogurt. I would have had a go, but I already own the whole range so I already know how amazing it is!

Before the next demonstration and talk went ahead on another new product, we were left to take ALL THE SELFIES with the banana range! I did a couple myself with two of my favourite products from the range. I cannot tell you how amazing the banana range is and I swear we all need to get a petition started for The Body Shop to keep it forever!

The next products we heard about were new face products that The Body Shop have in stock, as well as some old favourites that not many people know about. The first item we heard about is their liquid peels and they showed us the Vitamin C Glow Revealing Liquid Peel, Drops of Youth Youth Liquid Peel and Drops of Light Liquid Peel. I had a go with the latter and it is pretty cool and yet gross all at the same time!

Sadly I didn’t get any pictures of the demonstration I had on the back of my hand, but I’ve used liquid peels in the past by Korean brands. It’s a gel consistency and the more you rub onto your skin the more it works on the skin to gently peel away any dead skin. It’s gross and satisfying seeing all the gunk that rubs off of your skin! I love using my Korean one once to twice a week and I honestly plan to buy The Body Shop one in the future! This leaves your skin looking and feeling fresh, as well as brighter. I love how there’s the two different liquid peels to choose from. I tried the Drops of Light, but I’m 30 soon so I need the Drops of Youth one me thinks.

Alongside the liquid peels, the girls were also telling us about the new face mask to join The Body Shop’s growing collection! We heard about a couple of the face masks, but the newest member of the family is Mediterranean Almond Milk With Oats Instant Soothing Face Mask.

This face mask is designed for people with sensitive skin and is 100% vegan! This face mask also acts as an exfoliating face mask and reminded me of porridge when I looked at it inside the jar. It helps dry and sensitive skin from feeling tight and itchy, all whilst gently exfoliating your skin to leave you with smooth hydrated skin! I don’t know about you guys, but this is very much needed throughout the winter months, so this will be great to dig out whilst having a hot bath as the weather gets cooler.

I gave this a go in store on the back of my hand and it felt so gentle and the sort of product you would use in a spa. I know one of my friends definitely wants to give it a go after I showed it her, due to the sensitive skin idea! There is nothing worse than having sensitive skin and not being able to use face masks due to that.

The other face mask that the girls were talking about is the Japanese Matcha Tea Pollution Clearing Mask. I’ve wanted to try this since it came out and I had a little look at this face mask on the back of my hand, which felt amazing! I definitely need to give this a go in the future, especially as autumn and winter will be here before we know it.

After we gave the face products a go that the girls spoke about, they were showing us this box with loads of things inside of jars that you can look at. Each jar explains what the item is inside and where it has come from in the world. They also have the cards which explain where EVERYTHING comes from that goes into our products, which I think is amazing! If you visit the Coventry store the girls told me you can ask to see this box and honestly have a look when looking at certain products! It’s really interesting to see where they come from.

BUT an awesome fact one of the girls told me has really stuck with me since then and I’ve been sharing it with everyone I know! Basically Hartley’s sell seedless strawberry jam. Someone at The Body Shop knew this face and asked Hartley’s what they do with the seeds. I can’t remember what Hartley’s said but now they give the seeds to The Body Shop, which goes into their Strawberry Softening Body Polish. How cool is that fact though?!

After that we again got to have a little look around the shop, give the face products a test and take lots of pictures! I went around the bath products and had a nose at what The Body Shop has to offer. I’ve bought some of the bath bombs and bubble bars to try and so far I’ve tried the strawberry one, which I’ll also be reviewing VERY soon!

The last products that the girls told us about were make up related and sadly I didn’t get any pictures of the girls talking about these. I can of course fill you in on what new products we were told about.

The girls were talking about the new Matte Clay Powers that have recently launched, which come in six different shades. Sadly I don’t wear make up like this so these didn’t interest me in the slightest! They look pretty good for the price though and I’m sure they give good coverage too.

Then we were told about the new lipsticks that have recently come into store. I feel bad that I can’t remember for the life of me what they’re called and I can’t seem to find them on their website! They’re matte style lipsticks but with shine and comfort that a matte lipstick doesn’t bring with it. They came in a lovely variety of colours, with mostly nudes, pinks and reds! I sadly didn’t give them a go as I didn’t want to end up buying loads of lipsticks. 😛

However, I did give their Shine Lip Liquid’s a go as the holographic style packing was bringing out the magpie in me!

One of the exciting things we learnt about from The Body Shop girls is that The Body Shop is rolling out 3 for 2 in some stores right now, including the Coventry store as a trial run. This 3 for 2 applies to pretty much everything in the store and will enable people to try all sorts of different products! The 3 for 2 works like most offers of the same name, you pick up 3 products and you get the cheapest free!

 

Sadly I didn’t make the most of this promotion as I’m trying to be good, but I did end up buying one of the Shine Lip Liquid’s, which I have fallen madly in love with and worn ever since buying. I’ll definitely be reviewing this in the future! I picked up Blueberry Chew, which is a gorgeous pink with blue tones and shimmer. It’s definitely a lip gloss. These come in nine different shades, some shimmery and some normal. I would love to pick up more of these in the future!

Then it was time to grab my goodie bag and make my way back to Birmingham. I ended the evening buying 20 chicken nuggets from McDonald’s and going around the local area playing Pokemon GO. Oh how the other half live. 😛

I thought I’d show you guys what I got in my goodie bag as it’s so lovely and perfect for myself. I did want to give some of the products in here a go before writing this post, but sadly I just haven’t had time to. Hopefully in the future I can give them a go and give a proper review!

First of all I’ll show you guys the gorgeous cosmetic bag* I got in my goodie bag! It’s a black bag covered in pink bunnies, writing which says, “Forever Against Animal Testing” and The Body Shop logo.

Inside the pouch are three products, a full size bottle of Strawberry Shower Gel*, a full size tube of Almond Milk & Honey Calming & Protecting Hand Cream* and a travel size bottle of Banana Truly Nourishing Shampoo*.

I’ve used the Strawberry shower gel for about 20 years now and it’s always a fond favourite to have in my shower. Dane loves it so much that he bought 2 massive pump bottles in the sale! So this will go down a treat in my bathroom.

I’ve grown to love the Almond Milk & Honey range SO MUCH recently and I especially love the hand cream. Sadly however it doesn’t do as much for my hands as it could and should. This being said I still use it and use it daily at work.

Finally the banana shampoo has been a love/hate product of mine and Dane’s since we started dating. One minute I love it and what it does for my hair and the next I feel a bit meh about it. Mostly because you pay quite a lot for the product and I don’t feel the price is worth what it does. Sorry The Body Shop! Dane loves it though and these little travel bottles are handy for have for weekends away.

The other goodies I got in my bag came in this cute little pink and white polka dot paper bag. Inside there are loads of little samples, including the Japanese Matcha tea Pollution Clearing Mask*, Mediterranean Almond Milk With Oats Instant Soothing Mask* Vitamin C Glow Revealing Liquid Peel*, Banana Shower Cream* and finally the Banana Body Yogurt*.

I honestly cannot wait to give the liquid peel and the matcha face mask a go over the weekend! I plan to have a proper pamper day on Sunday and these two will be used in that regime. 😛

As I mentioned I bought the Shine Lip Liquid in the shade Blueberry Chew and thanks to my £5 discount voucher, I managed to bag it for £2! Bargain!!! I honestly can’t wait to review this on my blog.

Overall I LOVED this The Body Shop event and I cannot wait to attend more Coventry Bloggers events in the future. Again I want to say a massive thank you to Emily for hosting the event, as well as allowing my brummy self to attend. 😛

I’m going to pop the Coventry The Body Shop Instagram down below, make sure to go and check them out and let the know I said hi! 😀

LoveYourBodyCov

What do you guys think to some of the newbies that The Body Shop are bringing out? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

Until next time all, take care and I hope you’re ready for the weekend.

A Very Much Needed Haul!

I’m meant to be saving money, but for some reason towards the end of my second semester of uni I suddenly felt the urge to buy myself some things. Things that whilst I can afford, I shouldn’t really buy. However a majority of these items were in the sale, so it wasn’t too bad! Plus a couple of things were free and one was a gift, but I’ll go into detail about this.

I’ll talk about each item in order of when I bought them.

Towards the end of April me and my boyfriend decided to treat ourselves to a new game for our 2Ds’s and that game was the latest Pokemon, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Since then we’ve played them loads, but my boyfriend has already completed his! I’ve been too busy with my uni work to play but when I’ve handed my last assignment in Thursday, I’ll be able to complete the story!

I’d read a review recently about Makeup Revolution’s new Iconic Pro lipsticks and whilst I didn’t need anymore (or any new ones for that matter) the two I had spied were dupes of MAC Heroine and possibly Violetta, two lipsticks I have had my eye on for quite some time. So, for £2.49 each I thought, what the hell! I ordered Liberty in both the matte finish and the standard finish, which looks creamy, yet glossy. These are gorgeous lipsticks and since buying them I’ve worn them  nearly everyday. I’ll definitely have to review these in the future as not only are they MAC dupes, but the packaging also reminds me of MAC too. Really can’t go wrong for the price. The only thing I disliked was how much the postage was, and what made it worse was how long it took them to arrive! Not very pleased about it, but they’re here now and were definitely worth the wait!

This was intended to be the only treats I was going to buy myself this month, but alas after ordered those lipsticks, I couldn’t stop.

I use Love Sales to tell me when products I want to buy go into the sale. The second said item goes down in price I get an email about it. This happened a lot that same day due to New Look having a sale. I’ve seen a lot of items I wanted from there, so alas those items were put on sale. A lot of items I wanted weren’t available in my size, but the ones I picked up were.

I picked up this crop top, which I’ve been wanting for ages! It was listed under New Look’s 70’s trend, which I’ve really been liking this spring so far. I’ve wanted some more crop tops for a while as whilst I don’t like my tummy, my waist is pretty awesome! I can wear something high-waisted (probably black shorts, jeans, disco pants, or a skirt) and it’ll look awesome all year around. When I tried this on it felt a little tight, but I think this is how it’s meant to be. It makes my boobs look awesome too, so I’m glad I picked this up! It was originally £7.99, down to £4.00, bargain! I’m really pleased I picked this up. It’s going to be the start of me getting more body confident again. Although this being said, I haven’t yet found anything high-waisted that I like the look of. I’ll have to keep looking.

I’ve wanted this dress for months and looked in every store imaginable to try and track it down to try on and buy. I looked in two Coventry stores, three Birmingham stores, Milton Keynes, Cheltenham, and Leicester, and no one could help me! They all told me to order it online. But I left it, I don’t tend to like ordering clothes online… However when this popped up in the sale, I couldn’t resist. At the time of ordering there was only one size left, which is one-two sizes too big for me, but I could get it taken in and it would be okay. And to be honest, with how self-conscious I am about my weight lately I thought, “You’ll probably fit into it anyway… You’re getting fat.” However, when it arrived and I tried it on, it turns out it was too big for me! Deep down I was so damn happy! But the story doesn’t even here about that dress. The next day I had a look online to see if they had any of my sizes left, which they did! So my boyfriend was nice enough to order it for me and so, when that dress arrived and fit okay, I took the one I ordered back to the store. Happy days! I’m so pleased I finally got this dress and at a bargain too, it was originally £22.99, down to £10. TEN WHOLE POUNDS! So pleased! I already know how I want to wear this and will wear it all year around. I wore it to a party recently and I loved it. I had nothing but compliments and it really did make me feel like a blast from the past with its 60’s/70’s look to it.

Both of these items were spoken about on one of my wish list Wednesday’s posts, which you can check out here.

Something else I decided to pick up from New Look were these cute little poodle socks. I’m a sucker for anything with a poodle on it and of course I just had to get these. You can never have enough pairs of socks, especially me! These were originally £1.99, down to £1.00. Can’t complain for that money.

Without flash

With flash

Out of pure boredom on my day off from work I had a look at Topshop’s sale to see if I could spy anything nice for a bargain and I came across these shoes. I have had my eyes on a pair of Vagabond sandals for nearly a year now and I still don’t own them. Why? Because they’re just too damn expensive! Like the New Look items I had them on Love Sales and waited patiently for them to drop in the sale, but they didn’t drop to as much as I hoped they would. However, on the Topshop sale they had some shoes somewhat similar to the Vagabond ones. I wasn’t sure whether to order them… So I waited until my boyfriend was home from work and asked for a second opinion. He agreed on the reasons why I wanted them and so I ordered. Instead of paying £3.00 to have the delivered home, I decided to opt for free delivery to my nearest store. The sales assistants were lovely in store and I tried them on there and then. They fit me lovely and I was so excited to take them home! These were the best bargain out of the lot at a cheap £15.00 down from £40.00! They’re not real leather, but I’m not fussed about that. These will go with loads of things over the spring and summer months, hell even the warmer autumn days! I’ll probably team these up with the crop top, as well as the dress. I’ve already worn them with the dress and they looked awesome! When I first tried these on they did seem a hell of a lot higher than I thought they would be, but they’re really easy to walk in and very comfortable. I can’t wait to wear these more throughout the summer.

L-R: Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub, Soap & Glory Whipped Clean Shower Butter, and Garnier Pure Active 3-in-1 Wash Scrub & Mask

I needed to pick myself up some bits and pieces from Boots, these being a face and body scrub. So I took advantage to Boots 3 for 2 offer and decided to treat myself to Soap & Glory’s Sugar Crush Body Scrub and although I haven’t tried it yet on my body, I have tried it on the back of my hand and it feels gorgeous and smells delicious! I love the Sugar Crush line and it smells delicious, just like key lime pie! I’ve owned the shower gel in the past and was tempted to pick it up for this offer, but left it this time. This cost me £8.00.

Instead I picked up Soap & Glory Whipped Clean Shower Butter, which I have had my eye on to try for quite some time. What really encouraged me to buy it is the fact it smells JUST LIKE pistachio ice cream, which I adore. This shares the same scent as Smoothie Star Body Milk, and I can only imagine it does with the Smoothie Star Body Buttercream, and the Smoothie Star Breakfast Scrub. I tried this out the day after I bought it and it’s really nice to use! I imagine it’s like the Nivea in shower moisturiser as it did leave me feeling moisturised for a while, but my skin soon went dry in patches. This being said, my skin is very dry. I’ll be test driving this out more throughout June! This cost me £7.00

The item I picked up for free was what I settled on as my new face scrub, this being Garnier’s Pure 3-in-1 Wash Scrub & Mask. I’ve heard nothing but good about this and have wanted to try it for a while, but never did. However I thought what the hell this time and also gave this a go as a scrub the day after I bought it too and it really did feel nice to use! I of course haven’t noticed much change yet, but it didn’t dry my skin out which I liked. I can’t wait to try this as a mask as I really want to start using face masks again. This was on sale at the time of purchase for just over £3.00 but it’s now priced on the website as £5.99.

L-R: Ocean Salt, Ultrabland, and Let The Good Times Roll

Whilst I was out shopping with my boyfriend and before I picked up my items from Boots I ventured into Lush to check out their face and body scrubs, as I contemplated buying one from them. I had Ocean Salt and Rub Rub Rub in mind. The woman who served me was lovely and very chatty about Lush products. She also let me try out loads of products which was nice! However some of the things she was telling me about products I know from my personal research in the past were incorrect and I was somewhat confused about that. But I know she meant well and was speaking more from her own experience, as opposed to what they’re taught about the products. She was so lovely though that she gave me enough samples to last me for quite a few weeks. I nearly picked up Rub Rub Rub or You Snap The Whip, but I left it as to be honest, Lush is expensive and in my mind is something you only pick up as a treat.

The samples she gave me are Ocean Salt, Ultrabland, and Let The Good Times Roll. I’m really excited to try Ocean salt and Let The Good Times Roll, not so much for Ultrabland though. I tried this out in store and it felt so greasy on the back of my hand. This isn’t something I want to feel on my face… But I’ll still give it a go!

My family recently came back from a holiday and were lovely enough to bring me back this set of OPI Nail Lacquers with some of the Hawaii Collection inside. I’ve painted my nails and toes with some of the shades already and they’re gorgeous! I’m so grateful for the thought behind these and I know I’ll be rocking them throughout the summer! I’ll definitely be reviewing these soon.

I’m so pleased with my purchases and I’m really happy I treated myself to a few goodies. I’ve just about finished my second semester of university and I won’t lie when I say I feel like a weight has been lifted… Somewhat. I need to wait to see how I did first before the weight is fully gone. But for now I am due to start working on my dissertation, which will be a lot of work, but not as much as before.

This means more blog posts! I’ve really missed writing for my blog, so I’m glad to be back.

Have you been buying anything in the sales? Drop a comment and let me know!

Until next time all, take care and I’ll see you soon.

The Fragrance Shop Discover Club 5th Edition – Review*

This post and review is a rather exciting one… It’s my first review to have a * next to it. Yep, this is my first product sent to review and boy is it amazing and as the title reads, it’s The Fragrance Shop Discover Club 5th Edition*.

I was asked by the lovely Steph at Sparkle PR to review this and I gladly accepted! I love reviewing things and I also love perfume, so this was just my ideal first product to review on my blog.

I test ran the Discovery Club box over a week and over the week I really couldn’t wait to tell you all about this! First of all I shall talk about the box itself and what it’s all about and then I shall go onto the perfumes for both women and men that I received in my Discover Box!

So, without further ado, let’s get on with this review, which I warn you is going to be VERY long, but well worth a read!

The Discovery Box has been available for a year now, this being the 5th box. Boxes cost £5 each and you receive a new box every quarter, which you can cancel receiving at any time!

Inside the box you usually receive 5 perfume samples for both men and women, but with box number 5, you will receive 9! As well as that you also receive a booklet with some further information about the Discover Club, as well as vouchers for each perfume inside of the box itself. The vouchers are all worth £5, so with 9 samples you have £45 worth of savings in there!

So for £5 a box, could it get any better?!

So onto what samples are in the 5th Edition, I know I pretty much love them all.

This box is called the “Christmas Classics Box” and boy did they put in some classics! I love this box and it contains one perfume I own, one I have wanted since the day it came out, two I own in their EDP versions and some I have smelt in the past and thought about buying in the future, but as of yet, never have.

As I mentioned, there are 9 samples in this box, 6 are for women and 3 are for men so he can have something too! As well as that they’re all EDT scents, which makes a pleasant change for myself, as a majority of my perfumes are infact EDP’s. It was a real treat trying out all the scents in this box over a week and I rather liked the males ones on my boyfriend too.

For women you have:

Jean Paul Gaultier – ”Classique”
Nina Ricci – Nina
Gucci – Gucci Guilty
Thierry Mugler – Angel
Thierry Mugler – Alien
Givenchy – Very Irrésistible

For men you have:

HUGO BOSS – HUGO MAN
HUGO BOSS – BOSS BOTTLED
Issey Miyake – L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme

Now there are a hell of a lot of samples for me to talk about here, but I’m going to try and keep each one as short as possible, but at the same time making sure to talk about everything.

Female perfume samples:

Jean Paul Gaultier – ”Classique”

Launched in 1993, Classique has become a true icon in the fragrance world. The supremely seductive oriental floral fragrance pays homage to the beauty of women with its corset inspired design. A sweet and bold EDT.

An old friend of mine used to own this and before a night out I gave it a spritz on my neck and I can tell you the scent lasted all night, which impressed me seeing as this perfume is an EDT. It’s a very warm scent and something I’d personally only use during the autumn and winter months. As well as warm, it is somewhat musky and this is down to its base notes containing vanilla and amber. It’s a very grown up and seductive perfume, one to definitely use for Valentine’s Day or a romantic evening. I have contemplated buying this in the past but never made the plunge, maybe soon I will.

Nina Ricci – Nina

A magical scent captured inside a glass apple. Nina offers charm and enchantment with a dash of seduction in what is a fresh floral fruity fragrance.

A few Christmases ago, my brother actually bought me a 30ml size of this and I still own it, even though it is running out! This is a beautiful light perfume and perfect for anyone who doesn’t like anything heavy, but wants something that will stand out. I find that the bottle for this is misleading, as whilst DKNY – Be Delicious is in an apple shape bottle and smells of apples, this doesn’t in my opinion. This being said it does contain red toffee apple in its heart notes but alongside that there are also some lemon and lime top notes to give it a slight zesty scent. What makes this perfume different from Be Delicious is the base notes, which contain cotton musk to give it a slight musky smell, but at the same time this keeps its citrus scents. It’s a beautiful perfume and I can definitely see me buying this again and with a 30ml bottle costing less than £30.00 (£27.99) it’s well worth buying!

Gucci – Gucci Guilty

Gucci takes as a catalyst its iconic entwined G’s and brings us a heroine who regards this emblem as an incitement to subvert. For this most contemporary of rebels, Gucci is the brand of sex and power. In Gucci Guilty, this woman discovers the very scent of defiance.

I have wanted this perfume ever since it came out! Alongside Thierry Mugler and Chanel, Gucci is next to them in my top 3 for favourite perfumes. I smelt this when it first came out and eventually over time whenever I have been near a Gucci counter I have looked at this perfume and smelt it and just wanting to buy it… But I never have. This is a gorgeous floral EDT perfume, which lasts just as long as an EDP and as well as it being floral, Gucci describe this as a “modern and daring Oriental Floral” which is right up my street! The notes for this fit to the type of fragrance it is with the top notes being mandarin and pink pepper, heart notes being peach, lilac and geranium and finally the base notes being amber, patchouli, and more lilac, and geranium.  I have to say that this perfume no longer reminds me of Envy Me, but of an aftershave my boyfriend owns, so when I wore this one of the days at work last week, it just reminded me of him. This is a gorgeous scent and will have heads turning! I need to have this in my perfume collection by the end of the year.

Thierry Mugler – Angel

Angel, the first fragrance by Thierry Mugler, is a voluptuous oriental gourmand with a truly beautiful bottle resembling dazzling stars cut from a night blue sky.

This is an iconic perfume and one that either perfume lovers love, or hate. I know my friend Poppy hates it, whilst I love it! I have the EDP version of this, so to be able to try out an EDT was a nice change and in one way pleasant. An EDP can sometimes be too much, but that depends on how much you apply! This was the first fragrance by Thierry Mugler and to be honest, I don’t think he needed to bring anymore out! Although I’m glad as Alien is amazing and one of my favourites. BUT ignoring that, this is a mouth-watering perfume and contains yummy heart notes of fruit and honey and even yummier base notes of vanilla, chocolate and caramel. Angel is a scent that cannot be forgotten and is extremely unique, the perfect scent for anyone going on a first date, he’d never forget you.

Thierry Mugler – Alien

Distinctive and mysterious, yet comforting and soft. The EDT conveys passion, sensuality and the essence of absolute femininity with a rich floral woody with a magical trail for a fragrance that is truly out of this world.

Probably my all time favourite perfume, although the version I own is the EDP. Another unique smelling perfume and the second fragrance by Thierry Mugler. The EDT version of this is a lot softer than the EDP and yet lasts just as long on the skin, which was a lovely surprise. This is a citrus fragrance mixed with musk, which is really nice! The top notes contain mandarin orange and citrus, whilst heart notes and base notes contain jasmine and amber. There isn’t much I can say about this perfume, other than how much I love it already in its EDP version, as well as its EDT! This is will be perfect for summer when I just want something light to wear and with a 30ml bottle I can quickly throw it into my bag to spritz whilst out and about. Therefore I can really see me buying this with my £5 voucher! It costs £31.50 for a 30ml size and with my £5.00 voucher it’ll only cost me £26.50… Bargain, much?!

Givenchy – Very Irrésistible

A very dynamic sensual fragrance possessing the elegant floral top notes of rose and the exotic daring combination of peony and rose fantasia. A very appealing feminine scent by Givenchy.

This is probably the only women’s perfume sample in this box that I’d never smelt before until spraying the sample onto my skin. It was the first one I tried and I have to say, I really do like it. It’s a lovely light floral scent and something that can be worn whenever, whatever time of day! This contains lovely notes, top notes including star anise flower and verbena leaf, heart notes including rose garden, peony and centifolia rose, and finally base notes including more rose with passion, fantasia and emotion rose. For a floral perfume it does have some slight zesty scents in there and that’s due to the top notes. I really quite like this perfume and it’d be lovely to spritz on during the warm summer months. This is another perfume I have been contemplating buying with my £5.00 voucher as the 30ml costs £34.50 without the voucher, so with it this would only cost £29.50!

Male perfume samples:

HUGO BOSS – HUGO MAN

Fresh, sharp and extremely masculine, HUGO is about living life on your own terms with a certain irreverence. It is created not for those who go with the trend of the moment, but for those who seek a style of their own. The chunky glass bottled is topped off with a masculine metal topper, capturing a fresh, lively scent.

Although I don’t wear male perfumes, HUGO BOSS is one of my favourites on mine, alongside Paco Rabbane, Chanel and Diesel. I’ve never smelt this one before until opening the sample to give it a sniff and boy, do I want my boyfriend to pick this up! It’s a gorgeous, fresh, and very masculine smell, it’s the sort of scent that when you smell it on a man, your knees tremble! Jared Leto does the advertisements for this aftershave, which is just perfect really. 😛 But aside from that! The notes for this aftershave are lovely! Top notes contain grapefruit, green apple and mint, which quite frankly make my mouth water! Heart notes contain lavender and jasmine, which sound rather feminine and finally the base notes contain musk and pine needles. Overall this perfume sounds delicious but also smells delicious too! This would make a perfect Valentine’s Day presents for your loved one, or even a Christmas or birthday present. If my boyfriend doesn’t buy this for himself, I know I will! To me he looks gorgeous, so for him to smell like it too, is just an added bonus. 😉 This only comes in one size of 40ml, but for £26.50 a bottle it’s damn cheap, but for the money it smells beautiful!

HUGO BOSS – BOSS BOTTLED

A true male iconic fragrance that remains as popular now as its launch in 1994. The juice is fresh and sharp with a warm woody base whilst the bottle offers a sleek, uncomplicated but very masculine look.

When I was younger I was obsessed with Ryan Reynolds and so much in love with him that the only reason I smelt this back in 2011 was due to the fact that Ryan Reynolds started to do the advertising for it. It smelt lovely at the time but I prefer the NIGHT version to this one, but that’s just me. Also I’m pretty sure my boyfriend owns this and whilst it smells lovely, I prefer other aftershaves to this one. This being said it still smells gorgeous and whilst it is somewhat similar to HUGO MAN, this one is just a tad lighter. The top notes include oakmoss, bergamot, apple and lemon to give it zesty scent. Heart notes include cinnamon and mahogany to give it some warmth and finally base notes include sandalwood and oakwood, with some vanilla to give it a lift. It’s a gorgeous scent and for a 30ml bottle it costs just under £30 at £29.99! I recommend that if you like the smell of this one, to smell the NIGHT version as it smells delicious.

Issey Miyake – L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme

Since 1994, L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme has become a hallmark of sophistication in the world of fragrances. It awakens the senses with its blend of citrus, precious woods and spices. The pure, energising scent is perfect for a modern, independent man.

Top Notes – Fresh and energizing yuzu, a Japanese citron

Heart Notes – Spicy nutmeg and cinnamon

Base Notes – Woody, Masculine amber tobacco, sandalwood and vetiver

I think I’ve heard of this before in the past, but I never gave it another look as with all ignorance, I don’t recognise the name so I can’t be bothered to look at it… Plus it’s for men! The sample I got is the sport version, which isn’t mentioned in the booklet or anywhere for that matter… So I wonder if I was sent the wrong one… Even if I was it doesn’t bother me much, as my boyfriend is being given all the samples anyway. Either way this aftershave is gorgeous! It smells really fresh and reminds me of summer, which is nice of course. As I received the sport version I’ll be mentioning the notes for both and as you can see, I have already mentioned the original versions notes above. I don’t at ALL like the sound of the original and quite frankly I’m glad that I received the sport version as it smells a lot more fresh and citrus than the original, which sounds far too musky and reminds me of a hot car on a winters morning that has too many vanilla scented air fresheners… This was my childhood by the way! SO the notes for sport! Top notes include grapefruit and bergamot to give it its citrus scent, heart notes include nutmeg to give it warmth and freshness, and base notes  include vetvier which give it an elegant smell as well as character and depth. Overall I rather like this aftershave… But I still prefer HUGO MAN more!

So now that I have covered all 9 samples that you receive in the 5th Edition Discover Club box, I’ll let you know which female (okay two female scents, I couldn’t pick one!) and male scents won…

Drum roll anyone?

Jean Paul Gaultier – ”Classique”, Givenchy – Very Irrésistible and HUGO BOSS – HUGO MAN

Out of all the women’s samples, “Classique” lasts the longest out of them all and reminds me of something, that I can’t quite put my finger on, probably something from my childhood! I would love to pick up a bottle of this, but right now I can’t really afford it… Which is a total shame as I have my £5 voucher! I guess I’ll have to pop in store soon and see what bargain I can get.

I couldn’t pick one and the other sample I rather liked was Very Irrésistible! I’d never smelt this before and it was a real treat to smell and try out over the week whilst I was at work. It didn’t last as long as I’d have hoped but I know if I were to keep a small 30ml bottle in my bag I’d be able to spritz this whenever I do so wish. Also I really want a new perfume for summer and I think this could be it!

Finally we have the male sample and I could only pick one! This was the first one I smelt and I don’t think anything else could compete as this just smells divine! It’s a gorgeous fresh and sexy aftershave and one I’m DYING for my boyfriend to buy! I know he said that he liked the idea of buying a new aftershave and as I have vouchers, he may as well use one. This aftershave is pretty affordable and with £5.00 knocked off, it would be a bargain he would be silly to pass up on.

So, after what seems like one of my longest reviews, what do I think of The Fragrance Shops Discover Club 5th Edition? Well I LOVE it and I really can see me subscribing to these since receiving this one.

I had thought about it a year ago when they first came out, but I never did go through with it, which I now regret, but I guess the term, “No time like the present” springs up here and as soon as the 6th Edition is released, I’ll be ordering it straight away!

If you’re interested in the Discover Club 5th Edition, or even the concept of samples in a box, then definitely click this link to head over to The Fragrance Shop’s website to tell you all about it and even order your own!

If you’re planning on getting yourself one, I suggest you do it soon as at the end of February the vouchers in the booklet run out, so I assume a new box would be coming out. But even so, you can always wait and pick up the 6th Edition if you do so wish!

So, what do you think of the Discover Club boxes? Have you ever bought any before, if so, what did you think of it? Let me know in the comments down below and if you have any questions, please ask away!

Until next time, take care all!

*Product sent for reviewing purposes.

P.S. Apologies for how long this post was, but I wanted to make sure to cover everything! 😀