Frangrances… Many a times I have written about how my memory has smells: I always associate fragrances to a time of my life, a place I used to go, a person I loved, a song, and so many others. My memory seems to have a fantastic sense of smell.
When the Potion Paris box arrived, I was intrigued: seven exclusive fragrances to try, all new to me and with the notes on every single one really tickling my fancy.
Overall, the fragrances have a good staying power and a great story: they all develop well and the top, heart and base are distinct and complementary.
I probably like Addiction the most; it has peony and nutmeg. It does contain quite a few other floral notes but bourbon vanilla, tonka, patchouli make it deep as well as slightly spicy.
Then for me comes Seduction – of course it does. Amber, praline and wood are quite the combination. The sweetness of the praline breaks the harshness of the wood and a warm aroma lingers.
Looking for a delicate, enveloping day fragrance? I’d pick Creation. This surprised me as it is not usually my “type” on the the top, but most of its heart (hi toffee) and base of vanilla, musk and praline really do it for me.
Then to Sensation as oud is one of my favourite scents. This fragrance has deep notes and it develops into a strong scent with a cedarwood, patchouli, vetiver and musk base.
Rose, peony and wood make Temptation also quite delicate and somewhat fresh, but the wood and musk deliver a bit of the strength I like in my perfumes.
Deception is just borderline ok for me, as I am mesmerised with jasmine (reminds me of my childhood), together with rose and patchouli. It feels fresh, but I prefer a punchier scent. It does get better as it develops.
Devotion brings white flower and patchouli scents, but its grapefruit is a bit too much for me!
Potion Paris is a sustainable refillable boutique perfume brand that offers traditional, rare high quality ingredients with a refill and re-use programme. They are cruelty, paraben, ptalates and sulfate free.
With the collection boxes, you get a beautiful luxurious vial and case plus the chosen fragrance to fill the vial – can be the full collection (7 x 10ml fragrances for £130), your choice of 2 or 3 fragrances, mixed or the same (for £120 and £100 respectively).
You can also get the vial separately (£30) and refills cost £35 for 2x 10ml. If you send 10 empty glass refills back to them they will get sanitised and re-used, and you get 2 of your chosen fragrance back!
Potion Paris also has soy wax candles on the same fragrances – £35 for 540g (45h burn time), currently at £29.99 for Black Friday.
There are some Black Friday sales across the site at the moment and the collection boxes also have some good discounts.
I got the Potion Paris Discovery Sample set, which costs £24.99 and comes with a £20 voucher redeemable against your 40 or 60ml choice (2 months expiry) – perfect to explore all the fragrances and pick your favourite before committing!
You know the drill, but I’ll say anyway: this post contains PR samples as products were sent to me free of charge, with no obligation to post. Opinions are honest and my own.
In my life, I had many fragrances. I dropped fragrances I loved but reminded of heartbreaks and (maybe) excessive nights out. I impulse bought. I re-purchased. I had “signature scents”. I was faithful, then promiscuous with my perfume choices.
Good Girl, from Carolina Herrera is a delight. I mean, look at that killer stiletto bottle. Sensuous and dark.
The strong base of toasted tonka beans, cacao, vanilla and coffee (the “bad” side) settle the sweet flowery tuberose, jasmine sambac and iris heart (the “good side”), which also contains some sandalwood and the top note is almond.
Now… the strapline: “It’s so good to be bad“. I had ONE date with someone I spoke to an awful lot prior and after that date. We spoke a lot with hashtags (judge me, go on).
I got mine (50ml) from 
Beauty. Heaven. There is no other way to describe the haven that is Indulge Beauty at Westfield Stratford.
I was really impressed with the quality and selection of the brands present. Being a beauty blogger, obviously I knew many, but there was a lot still to discover.
I left the shop with a gorgeous Capsule box, which only lightly touches on the breadth of the beauty offering from Indulge; from well know Urban Decay, Glam Glow and Beauty Blender, to cult Skin Laundry and classic Clarins and GHD; this just a tiny sample of what you can expect from a place which seems to have it all.
The best thing? At Indulge Beauty you can get a routine tailored for you – think a shampoo from one brand, conditioner from other, mask from a third; eyeliner from brand A, mascara from B; day cream from brand X, day cream from Y… you get the idea.
Most importantly, advice is neutral, focused on your needs and you can get all in one place!
Until a few years ago, I stuck to the same fragrance. It was my thing, my signature.
The top notes are citric (blood orange and grapefruit), and I am not a citrus fragrance person. Having said that, the opening is rather sweet and crisp.
Some say you mature into liking things you may not have liked when you were younger and with Chanel N°5 Eau de Parfum, I can confidently say this was the case.
The new fragrance was trapped inside a minimalist bottle, a revolutionary design at the time, with a clean white label and topped with a beautiful faceted cabochon.
I still feel it is an evening fragrance and I love catching a whiff of it on my body from time to time throughout the night when wearing it.
A scented love letter. That’s how the new Michael Bublé fragrance, By Invitation, is described.
The bottle, a lovely glass circle suspended within a golden ring, with the top being a metal version of an atomiser, is just very elegant and looks amazing on the dressing table. However, I think if it was a real atomiser, it would give this perfume the luxury edge.
Bublé, a self confessed hopeless romantic, is through his perfume, inviting his female fans to experience “love in a bottle”, he says.
Of course, Mr. Bublé is no perfumer and renowned French perfumier Karine Dubreil-Sereni is the expert behind it.
So Many Lovely Things 