The Perfume Society: Try Before You Fly Discovery Box

I absolutely love The Perfume Society Discovery Boxes. Their latest one is "Try Before You Fly" and is stuffed full of perfume samples, a trial size scent and suntan goodies. 

Retailing at £12.50 plus P&P for VIP subscribers and £15 plus P&P for everyone else. You can become a subscriber HERE (it costs £25 per year - you receive an introductory box and subsequent boxes discounted as well as 8 editions of the Scented Letter (downloadable magazine).

Inside is:

A luxe trial size of Prada's Candy Kiss EdP 7ml (which is the perfect size to pop in your hand luggage). It's from the Oriential fragrance family and has top notes of musk, a heart of musk and orange blossom and a base of musk and vanilla. It's a gourmand scent with a sensual note. It's absolutely beautiful and would be great to wear on sunny, balmy evenings. Love this!

I've previously enjoyed perfumes by Agonist, a Swedish perfume house and in the box is Blue North 2ml from the Woody fragrance family. With top notes of cardamon, rosemary and spearmint a heart of orris, mint, ginger root and helitrope with a base of white cedar, sandalwood, vanilla and musk. It's fresh, cooling and quite unlike anything I own and I absolutely love it!

I'd been wanting to try Miu Miu EdP for a while. It's from the Floral family and has top notes of lily of the valley, lemon and bergamot with a heart of peach, blackcurrant, rose, green notes and jasmine with a base of white musk and akigalawood. It's fruity with a floral green note and is quite mouthwatering and is simply stunning (I'd also love the full size bottle to display on my dressing table!)

L'Artisan's Bucoliques de Provence EdP 1.5ml is from the Fresh family and has top notes of juniper berries, a heart of lavender and a base of leather and iris. I find this one aromatic and quite different.

Illicit Flower EdT 2ml by Jimmy Choo is from the Floral family and has top notes of apricot, mandarin and freesia with a heart of rose, grapefruit blossom and jasmine. It has base notes of musk, sandalwood and cashmeran. A fruity/floral run-of-the mill sort of scent.

The Merchant of Venice's Rose Moceniga EdP 2ml is from the Floral family and has top notes of green lemon, blackcurrant leaves and rose with a heart of magnolia, lotus flower and rose absolute. With base notes of vanilla, musk, white cedar and amber crystal. 

Les Cocottes de Paris Melle Cleo EdP 2ml is also from the Floral family. With top notes of rosewood, bergamot and lychee, a heart of night-blooming cereus, ylang ylang and rose with a base of cotton flower and lichen. It's quite a powerful and heady scent.

Barbour for Her EdT 1.5ml is from the Floral family and has top notes of redcurrant and pink pepper, a heart of rose, jasmine and blush peony with a base of musk, vanilla and vetiver. This is the debut fragrance from Barbour and it's absolutely stunning.

The final three items are perfect for your trip abroad or staycation and are in generous sizes:

Lancaster Tax Maximiser 50ml which helps to prolong your suntan while caring for your skin and a 3ml Velvet Touch Cream SPF30 along with a 25ml Ultrasun Face Anti-Age SPF30.

A really great box I think. What are your thoughts?

Shopping My Stash #73

Here's what I've been reaching for lately:

The Pure Colour Envy Shine lipstick is a recent purchase from Estee Lauder (shade 130 - Innocent). It's a light peachy shade which is perfect for spring & summer. It feel moisturising on the lips only drawback is it doesn't really last.

L'Artisan Mure et Musc EdT which I got from my pal Julie for my birthday along with the lush Mure et Musc Extreme Body Wash which is a real treat. It cleanses the skin leaving it lightly scented. Absolutely love!

I can't believe I haven't tried any skincare products from PHB Ethical Beauty before! I've totally fallen for the gorgeous Anti-Ageing Moisturiser with Monoi Oil & Gardenia which I picked up at Love Lula (there's 25% off this range until 30 April). It truly is one of the nicest moisturisers I've ever used and smells divine. A full review will follow.

Took me a while to buy but unsure how I lived without it! Simply loving Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light. It just makes the skin look luminous and healthy.

What have you been reaching for lately?

February: A month of Samples: Perfumes: The Results

Back in February I decided to wear a different perfume each DAY and then report back as to which I'd buy full size.

Here are the keepers (14 in all):

Week 1:

2. 4160Tuesdays Sleep Knot EdP - this is a beautiful blend of jasmine, sandalwood, ylang ylang and black pepper.

5. Miller Harris Fleurs de Sel EdP - I own the very gorgeous Rose Silence by Miller Harris. This one is light with a hint of sea salt, flowers with vetivert, patchouli, oak moss and leather.

Week 2:

9. Ormonde Jayne Sampaquita EdP - I used to wear Ormonde Jayne Frangipani, a beautiful tropical floral scent. Sampaquita is also floral with notes of lychee, bergamot, grass oil and magnolia flowers. Going to pick up the Discovery Set soon.

10. .vero.profumo Rozy EdP - this came in my October Bloom Perfumery Subscription and has notes of honey, damask rose, passionfruit, lilac, peach, honey and sandalwood. It really is lovely.

Week 3:

15. Phaedon Oriban EdT - another one from Bloom Perfumery which came in my December pack. It is quite woody with ambroxan, incense, musk and sandalwood.

17. Le Labo Rose 31 - I adore their Tubereuse 40 (New York) which is hard to find. The Rose 31 is based on Grasse roses with woody notes of cedar, cumin and amber. You can pick this one up at Liberty.

18. 4160Tuesdays Dirty Honey EdP (not in pic have mislaid) - which is a sexy scent with honey and orange blossom.

19. 4160Tuesdays Who Knew EdP (not in pic) - this is beautiful. A heady scent of deep rose, green tea and a splash of smokey Lapsang souchong.

20. Agonist Vanilla Marble EdP - this came in my The Perfume Society Scent with Love Box and is an edible vanilla...so lush. With top notes of vanilla, almond and tiare flowers, a heart of orchid, white fig, amber and patchouli  with a base of sandalwood, vanilla, tonka bean and benzoin.

Week 4:

22. Carner Cuirs EdP (not in pic) - in November Bloom Perfumery mixed up the sample packs and the girls got the one for the boys. This scent by Carner was my favourite in November. It has notes of saffron, gaiac wood, sandalwood, Texas cedar, violet, Amyris wood, oud, patchouli, leather, musk, tonka bean, cistus and nagarmotha.  I also love Tardes by Carner - see my review HERE.

23. Robert Piguet Fracas EdP - a cult classic and a love or hate scent. A heady scent with notes of tuberose, jasmine, jonquil, gardenia, Bulgarian roses, orange flower, sandalwood vetivert and musk. This is an evening time scent for me.

24. L'Artisan Mure et Musc EdT - this was the first perfume I tried from L'Artisan and remains my favourite to this day. A luscious blackberry scent with hints of musk and fruits.

27. 4160Tuesdays Doe in the Snow EdP - a fresh peachy floral with woods. Full size of this is my next buy.

28. PG 15 Ilang Ivohibe - another from Bloom Perfumery subscription. I received this in my first sample pack. It has top notes of lavender and vanilla, a heart of Egyptian jasmine, iris butter, orange and ylang ylang with a base of patchouli.

Do you wear any of these perfumes?

The Perfume Society: Scent with Love

I couldn't resist The Perfume Society's latest box - Scent with Love as it contains Shay & Blue's Spring launch - English Cherry Blossom (2ml) - a lush fruity floral which is perfect for springtime. It has top notes of bergamot, pink cherry blossoms and green mandarin with a heart of black cherry, honeysuckle and iris with a base of cherry wood - it's gorgeous! - I know I'll be buying it full size.

4160Tuesdays Sex Goddess (2.25ml) - after having had their Advent Calendar (loved) I know I'll enjoy using this one. It has top notes of peach and blackcurrant, a heart of strawberry and geranium with a musk and vanilla base.

L'Artisan Mure et Musc EdT (1.5ml) - this was the first L'Artisan perfume I tried. Love it. It has top notes of lemon, orange, basil and lavender, heart notes of blackberry and jasmine with a base of musks, patchouli and oakmoss. A lovely fruity and musky scent with a distinct scent of blackberries.

Agonist Vanilla Marble EdP (2ml) - this is so edible! It has top notes of vanilla, almond and tiare flower with heart notes of orchid, white fig, amber and patchouli with a base of sandalwood, vanilla, benzoin and tonka bean.

Elie Saab Rose Couture EdT (1ml) - this is another new launch and is really pretty. It has top notes of orange blossom, peony and rose with heart notes of jasmine, rose, vanilla and fruity notes with a base of sandalwood and patchouli.

Narciso Rodriguez for Her EdP (0.8ml) - I used to wear this all the time so this is a trip down memory lane for me!  It has top notes of peach and rose, a heart of amber and musk and a base of sandalwood and patchouli.

Moschino Fresh Couture EdT (1ml) - full size of this comes in what looks like a Flash bottle! I initially didn't like this one but when it settled on my skin I quite like it. It has top notes of bergamot, mandarin and ylang ylang with a heart of raspberry, white peony and osmanthus with a base of cedarwood, ambrox and white patchouli.

Juicy Couture I am Juicy Couture EdP (1.5ml) - this is very fruity with floral notes and contains top notes of raspberry, pomelo and passionfruit with a heart of gardenia, heliotrope, rose de Mai and sweet pea with a base of musk, woods and amber.

Taylor Swift Incredible Things EdP (1.5ml) - with top notes of grapefruit and pink pepper, a heart of suede, passion flower and vanilla orchid with a base of musk, vetiver, white amber and vanilla.

The extras this month are a sample of Aurelia Probiotic Skincare Firm & Revitalise Dry Body Oil which I've used before and loved and a 30ml tube of Time Bomb Hand to Hand Combat Hand Cream.

The box costs £12.50 for VIP Subscribers and £17.50 for non-subscribers. See the shop HERE. 

The Perfume Society: Jet Set Box

I couldn't resist the latest The Perfume Society box "Jet Set". It is packed full of generous samples to keep you going all through summer.  For Subscribers the box costs £10 including P&P (subscribe for a year for £25 and this includes a welcome Discovery box - see more details HERE).

I'm a huge Creed Virgin Island Water (2.5ml EDP) fan having once owned a full size bottle! It's a lush fresh scent with notes of lime, mandarin, coconut, white bergamot, hibiscus, ylang-ylang, ginger jasmine, musk, tropical woods, sugar cane and white rum. It has a real tropical coconut lime scent turning to exotic floral notes with the dry down of white rum and sugar cane. Love! Now need to save up for FS bottle!

The next two which caught my attention were the duo from The Library of Fragrance - Salt Air and Pina Colada - these are both very generous 15ml sprays and you can combine them making them perfect for summer holidays. Salt Air is fresh and breezy with notes of Sea Salt, Amber and Musk and is reminiscent of being beside the sea with the tangy salt air. Perfect to wear alone or combine with Pina Colada, a tropical blast of pineapple, rum and coconut (what's not to love!)  The scent is super fruity and exotic. Love both of these.

My next favourite is the super cute Thierry Mugler Angel eau Sucree (1.2ml EDT) which is wrapped up like a packet of parma violets in silvery striped paper (a bit like how Bond No.9 samples are wrapped). This fruity gourmand scent is delicious. You can tell straight away it is from the "Angel" family but it is lighter, softer and fruitier.  It has notes of red fruit sorbet, carmelised meringue, vanilla and patchouli. Another one I love!

Also catching my eye is Shay & Blue's Blood Oranges (2ml) which I already own. Ripe and juicy oranges are layered with leather, musk, dark woods and amber. It is fresh and fruity and perfect for summer evenings.

Oooh a rose scent too! L'Artisan's latest launch Rose Privee (1.5ml EDP) which is pretty special. It has top notes of cassis, green mandarin, basil and violet leaf with a heart of May rose, carnation, magnolia and lilac with base notes of hay, patchouli and musk.  In the month of May in Grasse, May Roses bloom and this scent uses them in their most concentrated form.  Full size is now firmly on the wishlist - it's a delight.

The final three I'm not really too excited about to be honest. We have Elie Saab Le Parfum (0.8ml EDP) which comes from the floral family. It has notes of orange blossom, jasmine, grandiflorum, jasmine sambac, patchouli, cedarwood, rose and honey.  It is a light floral with honey and woody notes.

Paco Rabanne Lady Million Eau My Gold! (1.5ml EDT) has notes of mango, grapefruit, neroli essence, orange blossom, violet leaf, amber musk and cedarwood. I find it a bit strong for my personal taste.

The final scent in the box is Versace Eros Pour Femme (1ml EDP) and has notes of bergamot, pomegranate, peony, jasmine, lemon flower, musk, ambrox and warm woods. I find it a bit powdery/strong for my taste.

The final item is Ultrasun Face High SPF30 Anti-Ageing Formula Protective Cream (25ml - worth £10) I'll be popping it in my holiday bag.

I'm delighted with this great value box with only a couple of scents which aren't really me. Did you pick up the box? What are your thoughts as to the contents?

L'Artisan The Perfume Box

I'm a huge fan of L'Artisan's Mure et Musc so thought this little try me set would be perfect to test out some of their other scents.  It retails at £12 for 10 x 2ml fragrances.

Batucada EDT - this scent is inspired by Brazil. It's super fruity with notes of lime, cacacha and fresh mint with middle notes of tiare and ylang ylang with base notes of sea salt and skin accord. This is perfect for summer. One of my favourites.

Caligna EDP - this perfume contains clary sage, a less well known ingredient from Grasse which gives the scent a fresh and woody scent. It also includes fig, mandarin tree leaves, jasmine marmalade accord, Violet, pine needles and oak chips. It's unlike anything I've worn before.

La Chasse aux Papillons EDT - a perfect scent for summer. With jasmine, orange blossom, tuberose and lime blossom. A simply stunning floral.

L'Eau d'Ambre Extreme EDP - an intense oriential with amber, vanilla and spices. This is pretty full on and not really something I'd wear although it might be nice for evening time.

Fou d'Absinthe EDP - a pretty powerful scent with notes of absinthe, four spices alcohol, patchouli and pine needles. I think its one which could grow on me!

Mure et Musc Extreme EDP - this is a headier version of Mure et Musc and a best seller. With blackberry, red berries, orange blossom leaves and musk. It's pretty special.

Nuit de Tubereuse EDP - another best seller this heady blend of tuberose, pink pepper, mandarin, clove and sandalwood is one of my favourites from the set.

Premier Figuier EDT - I love fig scents and this one is a keeper! With fig leaves, almond milk and sandalwood. Transports me to hot summer days on holiday in Greece.

Seville a l'Aube EDP - a delicious scent which contains orange blossom, petigrain, jasmine, incense, lavender and frankincense.

Timbuktu EDT - a woody and spicy scent which contains notes of green mango, karo-karounde flower, pink pepper, cardamon, vetiver, papyrus wood, incense and patchouli.  I love it! 

My favourites and ones I'd consider buying are: Batucada, La Chasse aux Papillons, Mure et Musc Extreme, Nuit de Tubereuse, Premier Figuier, Seville a l'Aube and Timbuktu. 

What's your favourite L'Artisan scent?

The Perfume Society: Making Memories Discovery Box

The Perfume Society's Making Memories Discovery Box is just fantastic! It's stuffed full of perfume samples and trial sizes (as well as a 30ml Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser with cloth)  Costing £15 for non-members and a tenner for VIP Subscribers.  The box would make a great Mother's Day pressie.

Included is smelling notes and Perfume Society blotters.

Onto the scents:

FRAGRANCE FAMILY: FLORIENTAL

Valentino Valentina 4ml EDP - this comes in the cutest little bottle! With notes of Calabrian bergamot, white Alba truffles, jasmine, Amalfi orange blossom, tuberose, wild strawberries, cedar, amber and vanilla. This is a really pretty scent. I love the wild strawberry note.

FRAGRANCE FAMILY: ORIENTAL GOURMAND

Thierry Mugler Angel 5ml EDP - this is a love/hate scent. I'm in the love category! With top notes of bergamot and helional, heart notes of exotic fruits, honey, caramel and praline with base notes of vanilla and patchouli.

FRAGRANCE FAMILY: FLORAL

Shay & Blue Amber Rose 2ml - I'm a huge fan of Shay & Blue and I've not tried this scent before!  It has notes of rare May rose from Grasse, Dulce de Leche and white amber. It's beautiful!

FRAGRANCE FAMILY: CHYPRE

Angela Flanders Precious One EDP sample vial - Another perfume I've been dying to try! With top notes of tuberose, jasmine and orange blossom, heart note of oakmoss with a base of sandalwood, vetivert and cedarwood. Angela made this scent for her daughter Kate.

FRAGRANCE FAMILY: FRESH

Roger & Gallet Fleur de Figuier - this is an intriguing little sample - it has a eau fraiche scent vial (1.5ml) and a sachet each of shower cream and body lotion making it perfect for layering your scent.  With top notes of fig pulp and mandarin, heart notes of caraway seeds, fig leaves and grapefruit and base notes of cedar and fig milk. Looking forward to trying this one!

FRAGRANCE FAMILY: FRESH

Annick Goutal Eau D'Hadrien 1.5ml EDT - this is gorgeous! Light and refreshing and perfect for spring and summer. It has notes of Sicilian lemon, bergamot, citron, grapefruit, cypress, galbanum, basil, juniper berry, ylang ylang and woods.  A happy scent!

FRAGRANCE FAMILY: FLORAL

L'Artisan Parfumeur La Chasse aux Papillons 1ml EDT - I'm a huge fan of their Mure et Musc scent. This has top notes of bergamot, lime blossom and pink pepper with heart notes of orange blossom, tuberose, jasmine and linden with base notes of ylang ylang. Looking forward to trying.

FRAGRANCE FAMILY: FLORAL

Liz Earle Botanical Essence No.100 2ml EDP - with top notes of bergamot and mandarin, heart notes of Damask rose, jasmine and orange flower and base notes of vanilla, cypress and sandalwood. This is a really uplifting floral scent and I'm looking forward to wearing it.

VALEUR ABSOLUE - this is a trio of 1.5ml vials: I've not heard of this brand before.  You can layer these scents.

Harmonie - FLORAL - with notes of Sicilian Bergamot, orange peel, cardamon, nutmeg, neroli, jasmine, earl grey tea, vanilla, musk and guaiac wood.

Joie-Eclat - FRESH - with notes of grapefruit, cardamon, mandarin, tuberose, white jasmine, Italian cypress, vetivert and white woods.

Sensualite - FLORAL - with notes of Sicilian Bergamot, white pepper, Rose de Mai, Sambac jasmine, cedarwood, amber and musk.

The final item is a little sachet of Fragonard Maman Cherie "a beautiful bouquet of fruit and flowers to evoke the special scented bond between a mother and her child".

I think this is a great box. What are your thoughts?  Pick it up here.

The Perfume Society: The Holiday Collection Discovery Box

The Perfume Society is a website which shares "everything you ever wanted to know about fragrances".  As well as learning about perfumes you can be one of the first to see the latest launches, get invitations to events, read a super informative e-magazine magazine called The Scented Letter (this is free to VIP Subscribers). Join as a VIP Subscriber for a year for £25. You get the magazine (8 issues a year), invitations to events, a Perfume Discovery Fragrance Edition, special content on the website which is only for subscribers and subsequent Discovery boxes for £10 with free P&P.

As I'm not a subscriber (yet) my The Holiday Collection Discovery Box cost £15 with free P&P.  It is absolutely jam packed with perfume samples and a couple of extra treats.

Inside there are in-depth information cards about each product and a book of blotters - use these before trying the perfume on your skin as the heart and base notes of a perfume are the ones you live with once the top notes subside.

I'll start with a perfume I already love. L'Artisan Mure et Musc EDT 1.5ml - I've been lucky enough to own a bottle of this beautiful scent.  It has top notes of lemon, orange, basil, mint and red berries. A heart of blackberry and jasmine and base notes of patchouli, musks, oak and moss.  I love the fresh blackberry floral notes.  Think a bottle of this is going on the wishlist as I'd forgotten how lovely it is!

Another perfume I adore is Shay & Blue's Atropa Belladonna 2ml - it is an intoxicating scent and I reviewed it here. I'm currently on my second bottle.

The second last scent in the box that I've tried previously is Liz Earle's Botanical Essence No 15 EDP 2ml - a "fresh oriental" with top notes of pink pepper, bergamot and cinnamon leaves, a heart of rose absolute Damascena, cypriol and cedarwood with a base of vanilla bourbon, amberiff, sandalwood and tonka bean. Spicy and warm with floral and earthy notes.

The final perfume I've tried before is Plum by Mary Greenwell EDP 2ml - I didn't love this the first time I tried it but I'll try it again.  It has top notes of peach, bergamot, lemon, plum and blackcurrant with heart notes of gardenia, tuberose, orange blossom, rose and jasmine (I love these notes!) with a base of sandalwood, oak moss, patchouli, amber and white musk.  I'll let you know my thoughts once I've given it another go.

All the rest of the perfumes I haven't tried before. I'll give you an update later as to my thoughts on them when I try them.

Agent Provocateur Fatale EDP 2ml - this has top notes of pink pepper, mango and blackcurrant with a heart of velvet gardenia, orris absolute and patchouli with a base of vanilla, skin musk, chocolate gourmand addiction and labdanum.

Judith Williams I love Milano, Principessa EDP 10ml - this smells beautiful and is a great size!  With top notes of mandarin, green leaf accord and passionfruit, heart notes of jasmine, tuberose and gardenia and base notes of amber, musk, vanilla and solar accord.

L'Occitane Collection de Grasse The Vert & Bigarade EDT 7.5ml - I adore Magnolia & Mure from this range.  This one has top notes of orange and bitter orange, heart notes of green tea and yerba mate with base notes of cedar, thyme and musk.

Versace Crystal Collection - Yellow Diamond, Bright Crystal and Crystal Noir EDT 1ml - two in the trio are florals and one is oriental. They were created to "celebrate the rich and infinite variety of personalities that embody the Versace women".

The extra treats are:

A full size (8ml) nails inc Gel Effect Polish in St James and a 5ml trial size of Sarah Chapman's Skinesis Overnight Facial.

A great box I think. What are your thoughts?