Religion: The Fragrance?

Edgy british fashion label Religion are the latest brand to branch out into fragrance. I was intrigued to see what direction the label would go in with their first scent and I have to say, I am pleasantly surprised!

The anaemic-looking, all white bottle and packaging looks somewhat clinical and the angular design and skull adornment is more than reminiscent of Alexander McQueen's signature designs. None the less it's a funky, edgy looking perfume that fits the brand's image perfectly.

As for the scent, I was surprised by how sweet this is. I would describe it as a sugary citrus scent, which has notes of zesty orange and turkish rose. If I had to compare it to anything already out there I would say it's a sharper alternative to fragrances like Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy and Victor & Rolf Flowerbomb... both of which are immensely popular fragrances so I have a feeling that this will be a hit!

To me, it seems like a universally 'likeable' fragrance, and at only £30 for 50ml Eau de Toilette it would make the ideal 'safe' fragrance gift.

Definitely worth a smell if you like sweet scents, it is available now from Boots.

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Muubaa Madness at London Fashion Weekend

Yesterday I popped into the London Fashion Weekend event at Somerset House. Despite the gloomy weather and tube closures, I was determined to have a nosey through the designer stalls. Having attended the last LFWE event, I knew too expect crazy, jostling crowds of women all desperate to get their hands on a bargain, so I went prepared with a hit list of stalls I wanted to see. The top of my list was Muubaa, who make the most fabulous leather jackets I've ever seen (I'm not going to lie, they were the only main reason I bought a ticket!)

I wear a leather jacket at least 4 days a week and my staple Zara number has been looking decidedly worn lately, so I decided it was time for an upgrade and that Muubaa was my brand of choice. When I arrived at their stand I felt like I had died and gone to heaven right there.

There was a huge selection of jackets starting from only £50 (I had to take deep breaths to calm myself upon discovering this!)

As tempted as I was to come away with more than one item, I was a good girl and chose just one: this beautiful black suede biker jacket with zips and buckles galore!

It's also got wire all around the collar, cuff and lapel to help it keep that 'worn' shape. I'm so in love.

After spending only £100 on my dream jacket (I had budgeted £200) I decided I could perhaps treat myself to a few other goodies (in this environment, it would be rude not to!)

I was very taken by this Twenty8Twelve pink silk scarf, which was selling for £20. Scarves are another practical obsession of mine so I was happy to get my mitts on this beauty.

I also picked up this fabulous bejewelled headband by BlakeGodbold. For some reason I'm always drawn to this type of headband, even though I rarely get an occasion to wear them - they're just so pretty!

All in all, I came away one very happy girl, clutching my Muubaa jacket like a newborn baby. I will most certainly be coming back for more bargains next season!

Did any of you get time to pop down to LFWE this year?

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Five Thousand Thank You's!

This blog post is for one reason, and one reason only. To convey my HUGE and heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you who has chosen to click that 'follow' button to the left of this page. All 5,000 of you. An incredible number.

I never thought there would be so many people willing to read my beauty-related ramblings, and this is my way of letting you know that each and every one of you is very much appreciated, and loved!

So... THANK YOU!

To celebrate, I'm going to be holding a rather special 'weekly giveaway' consisting of five amazing prizes to be won over five consecutive days next week. In preparation for this, there isn't going to be a giveaway this week but I hope you all come back and take a peek next week, there are some really fabulous goodies that are going to be up for grabs so keep an eye out!

Once again... THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU (x 5,000!)

Fleur x

The winner of the DKNY fragrance from last week is:

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Caroline

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MAC: 'Packed to Go' and Looking Fabulous!

If you are yet to jet off anywhere this year, you may also be yet to set eyes on MAC's 'Packed to Go' travel collection. Phase one of the collection includes three gorgeous 'Look in a Box' kits and five product trios to get you looking fabulous on your travels.

The 'Look in a Box' sets are my personal fave. They are also incredible value for money, with 'Girl Next Door' (Grand Entrance and Smoke & Diamonds eyeshadows, Belightful Iridescent Pressed Powder, Deelight Cremesheen Glass and Zoomblack Zoom Lash mascara) 'A Very Stylish Girl' (Dreammaker and Glamour Check eyeshadows, Golden Bronzing Powder, Looks Like Sin Cremesheen Glass and Zoomblack Zoom Lash mascara) and 'Rocker Chic' (Elektra and Black Tied eyeshadows, Hue lipstick, Oyster Girl lipglass, Smoulder eye kohl and Black Dazzle Dazzle Lash mascara) priced at only £25.75, £27.75 and £30.50 respectively.

From Top: 'Girl Next Door', 'A Very Stylish Girl' and 'Rocker Chick'

My top pick from the collection is the 'Girl Next Door' set. The colours are beautiful and wearable and all five products for £25.75 is such amazing value for money.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the Zoom Lash mascara...

This is the second MAC mascara I've tried and loved. After hearing lots of bad reviews about their mascaras I have to say I totally disagree and have nothing but good things to say about them so far (each to one's own I guess!)

l-r Belightful Iridescent Pressed Powder, Deelight Cremesheen Glass, Smoke & Diamonds Eyeshadow, Grand Entrance Eyeshadow

Phase two of the collection, which will comprise of travel brush sets and palettes similar to the usual holiday offerings, will be available from March in all MAC stores & counters in airports worldwide.

Anything that catches your eye?

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New from Urban Decay...

I was lucky enough to be sent a selection of the new spring releases from Urban Decay a few weeks ago and thought I'd share my favourite peices with you.

The first products, and the ones that I was most excited about are the 24/7 Glide on Shadow Pencils (£14). The 'next generation' of the famous 24/7 eye liner pencils, Urban Decay claim that these are waterproof, creaseless and easy to apply.

l-r: Rehab, Sin, Morphine

I'm not normally a fan of 'fat' pencil products (I find you have to sharpen them far too much!) but I was seriously impressed with these. The colour payoff is incredible and they are super smooth and creamy to apply. Like the original 24/7 liners, they are blendable for about 30 seconds before setting, becoming waterproof and nearly impossible to smudge or blend. These are ideal as a base for powder shadows or on their own.

My favourite of the 12 shades would have to be 'Sin' a wearable champagne colour that I have been using on a daily basis. This looks great paired with 'Rehab' and blended using a stiff pencil brush (UD actually brought one out specifically for these pencils, imaginatively dubbed the '24/7 Shadow Pencil Blending Brush'!)

Another product that I am especially impressed with is the UrbanGlow Cream Highlighter, also in 'Sin'.

This creme highlighter is almost liquid in texture when you apply it, highly pigmented and leaves a gorgeous sheen to the skin.

The packaging is also a winner in my book: Urban Decay's signature deep purple casing with a decorative gold skull design.

The final new release worth a mention is the SuperCurl curling mascara (£15). I never normally notice the effect of 'curling' mascaras but this one really blew me away. If you struggle with straight or short lashes, this could do wonders!

As for skippable products from the collection? I wasn't overly taken with the AfterGlow Glide On Cheek Tints (Nice, but not amazing. I was slightly disappointed by the colour pay off) or the Lip Junkie lip glosses (The packaging is just somewhat awkward, the lid being too heavy and bulky for the tube)

All of the new release from Urban Decay will be available from 1st March in Debenhams and House of Fraser stores nationwide and online.

Anything you like the look of?

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New Arm Candy!

My relationship with handbags goes far beyond love, falling somewhere into deep obsession I think, so the arrival of a new handbag definitely warrants a blog post in my eyes!

My new arm candy comes in the form of this gorgeous taupe brown/grey cross body 'Naya' bag by Black Lily from (dangerously!) fabulous online boutique The Dressing Room (who, on a side note, packed it beautifully in this pretty pink box!)

The super soft leather is stitched in a detailed triangle pattern and accessorised with metal stud and chain details.

It can be worn both across the body, over your shoulder or on your arm (multi-purpose bags are always worth splashing out for, as you can get even more use out if them!)

I'm hoping to get a lot of use out of this little number. The colour goes with everything, it's not too big, yet just big enough to fit all of your everyday essentials... perfect!

It was a tough decision to make as the Black Lily Nordic Clutch also caught my eye, but I went for practicality! My Naya Bag is £170 and available now from The Dressing Room online boutique.

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DKNY, Kissing & Prizes!

Unless you are blind, or haven't left the house this month, I'm sure you'll all have seen the ads for DKNY's new fragrance: DKNY Women Energizing Eau de Toilette (They're all over the tube, billboards, buses etc!)

The fresh new variant on the classic 'DKNY Women' scent is described as...

"The essence of the original fragrance, with a fresh exuberant twist. Lighter than the original, it feels like New York City on a sun-filled day. The top notes are a refreshing blend of citruses, chilled vodka and tomato leaves; the heart is a wet blend of water lilies, green coral orchids and yellow daffodils. And the sensual finish is a blend of white birch and tulip tree wool. It feels as modern and timeless as New York City itself."

...Just what you need in this gloomy February weather, no? To distinquish it from the orginal DKNY Women fragrance, it comes in a clear bottle (not frosted like the original)

The Kiss in a Cab competition (see my last blog post for all the details!) is open until 4th April and if you can't make it to the in-store photo booths, then you can also enter online! The kisses go up on the DKNY website, where you can vote for your favourite. The winning kiss will win a Professional Canvas Portrait of their kiss, plus a DKNY handbag for her and a DKNY watch for him! There are also three runner-up prizes of DKNY fragrance packs worth £120!

This week I'm giving away a bottle of thew new DKNY fragrance to one lucky follower. All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning is:

1. Be a follower of my blog

2. Write a comment telling me where your most memorable kiss was

3. Don't forget to include your email address so that I can get in touch if you win!

The winner of last weeks giveaway for the John Frieda 3 Day Straight is:

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AddictedToIt

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*This post was sponsored by DKNY Fragrances*

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Topshop Sandstorm: Best Bits

I was lucky enough to get my mitts on a few samples from Topshop's latest collection this week. 'Sandstorm' is the first collection that has really caught my eye since the range was launched last year, and I thought I'd show you all my top picks from the newest collection before its release later this month.

The collection is an eclectic mix of pretty pastel and sparkling metallic shades. The product that initially caught my eye was the 'Equinox' metallic crayon. Similar to those released in the first collection last year, this is slightly more of a rose gold hue which applies very smoothly and blends like a dream. It isn't as opaque as the last crayons, but this does make it a little more wearable.

The 'semi-permanent' liquid eyeliner in 'Perpetual' scared me at first (visions of rubbing my eyes sore trying to remove it!) but it is easily wiped away with an oil based make up remover. The consistency is surprisingly thick and creamy and the finish is ever-so-slightly metallic.

The nail varnish duos are also stunning, my favourite being 'Zealous', a bold metallic gold paired with a creamy pink. See below for my quick (and sloppy!) attempt at an alternative french manicure...

My top pick from the colection however, has to be the creamy lip colour in Daze. This is honestly one of the only 'half lipstick, half gloss' colours that really delivers, It's exactly what I was hoping the MAC creemsheen glasses to be: creamy, moisturising and opaque. The colour is fabulous too. Similar to Viva Glam Gaga, but more wearable, it lasts for hours too (the photo below was taken 2 hours after application)

Overall, I'm seriously impressed with Topshop's latest offerings. With prices starting at only £5... you can't really go wrong.

What do you think ladies? Will you be buying anything from Sandstorm?

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Will You Be Grabbing a Cab Tonight?

If you do, keep your eyes out for these very special black cabs!

Marc Jacobs are offering FREE taxi rides this evening in their special, branded cabs that will be on the streets of London, Birmingham and Manchester. Keep your eyes peeled ladies!

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My Valentine's Day Scent of Choice

This may be a little late for a Valentine's day gift suggestion, but I thought I'd let you all know about my current fragrance of choice for the evenings, and indeed for Valentine's Day. After all, it's never too late to tell you all about something fabulous (even if it would make a perfect Valentines gift!)

I've never been overly taken with Agent Provocateur's fragrance offerings in the past. Something about them seemed a little too overtly 'sexy', kind of like they were trying too hard? Maybe it's just me, but their newest release L'AGENT seems to be a slight departure from this trend, and it instantly appealed to me. It's an exotic, somewhat 'spicy' fragrance that is most definitely a break from my usual fruity choices, yet still slightly playful. A wearable, sexy fragrance that everyone can 'pull off'.

Agent Provocateur say:

'The irresistible new fragrance from Agent Provocateur, has the most desirable, alluring magnetic attraction. A provocative potion, dark and mysterious, that captures your senses in a flight of florals, intoxicating amber and erotic musk'

I would most certainly agree with the 'magnetic attraction'. Something about this fragrance leads me to come back and smell it every five minutes, it's certainly addictive! The reflective pink bottle is stunning and the fragrance itself lasts all day. It's one of those perfumes that you can spray on a piece of clothing and still smell it two days later, and therefore saves you having to lug the bottle around in your handbag during the day!

The one thing I don't like about this perfume is the clip that replaces a lid... I love the look of the leather ribbon attached to the bottle, but I think it's a pain to take it on and off every time you want to spray the perfume.

Do any of you own any AP fragrances? What do you all think of this new addition to their perfume repertoire?

Agent Provocateur L'AGENT is available now, and is priced at £50 for 50ml and £70 for 100ml Eau de Parfum.

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Upcoming Treasures from OPI!

On Friday I got the chance to have a sneaky peek at two upcoming collections from OPI. The collection that took centre stage was without a doubt the Pirates of The Caribbean 'On Stranger Tides' collection, that is due to be released in May to coincide with the release of the new Disney film.

Overall I was quite surprised at how pale the collection is, I was expecting deep, dark shades but instead the collection consists of six soft pastel polishes along with the star of the show... the Silver Shatter Top Coat.

I have to say I much prefer this variant to the original Black Shatter top coat (from the Katy Perry collection). This is much more subtle and looks fabulous over all of the accompanying shades.

The only other offering that caught my eye was 'Skull & Glossbones', a very pale bone-grey shade that settles into an interesting middle ground between the nude nail trend and the muddy/grey nails that everyone loved last year.

(Left: 1 coat, Right: 2 Coats)

The second upcoming collection that OPI are set to release this April is 'Femme De Cirque' which at first glance looks like any other french manicure collection, until you take a closer look at 'I Juggle... Men'.

The other polishes in the collection are indeed, pretty standard, but 'I Juggle... Men' is really quite a unique shade: a clear base with turqouise and violet shimmer, which makes the most beautiful top coat.

It's the use of shimmer as opposed to glitter that makes this polish different, and sadly almost impossible to photograph! (Although I still tried!)

One coat over Beauty UK's Lilac Girl

One thing I was not impressed to see was that OPI have put their prices up to £10.50 a polish. Sad times! The Femme De Cirque collection is due for release in April, Pirates of the Caribbean in May. Both will be available online from LenaWhite.co.uk

A Quick Summary of Both Collections:

Must Haves: Silver Shatter Top Coat, I Juggle...Men

Worth a Look: Skull & Glossbones, Mermaid's Tears

Skippable: Everything Else!

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John Frieda 3 Day Straight: Review & Giveaway

When John Freida's latest release landed on my doorstep a few weeks back, I will admit I was slightly skeptical (and slightly scared!) about its claim to be 'semi-permanent'. Either way, the '3 Day Straight' Styling Spray had me intrigued. There has been some hype surrounding this product as it is the first of it's kind to be so widely available (to my knowledge at least, please let me know if I'm wrong!) I decided to put it to the test.

The first time I used it, I followed the instructions carefully, spraying it into wet hair before blow drying, then straightening it (and by straightening, I mean straightening it properly in sections, not just a quick once over with the GHDs!)

I noticed an instant improvement in the smoothness of my hair, but this is to be expected if you straighten it, so I wasn't too surprised. What did surprise me however, was that this smoothness stayed! For three days! I normally wash my hair every other day, and therefore left it for an extra day in order to test exactly what this product claims, and I can say that it 100% works! I was amazed. John Frieda claim that "A revolutionary blend of polymers with keratin protein wraps each strand, sealing in straight styles" which is activated using straightening irons.

Day 3!

After using this product for the first time, I tried it in a few different ways to see exactly how it worked. I used it without straightening my hair (just blow drying) and it made no difference whatsoever. I also tried it before curling my hair, and it did help a little in terms of creating a smooth curl and improving the hold, but it didn't stay for three days. From my testing it seems like this product is only fully activated by straightening irons.

All in all I think this product is marvelous, and a must have for anyone with frizzy or curly hair who likes to straighten it a lot. The best part of all? It's only £6.99 and available from Boots & Superdrug nationwide now.

This week I'm giving away a bottle of 3 Day Straight to one lucky follower. All you have to do to win is:

1. Be a follower of my blog

2. Write a comment on this post

3. Don't forget to include your email address so I can get in touch if you win!

The winner of the MyMix foundation from last week is:

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DejaShu

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