L'Occitane Perfumes: Something For All Your Fragrance Needs

6 Simple Ways To Boost Your Confidence

Confidence is something I have never had much of. Being naturally quite shy, coupled with my experience of trichotillomania, meant that I have always done everything I can to deflect any attention away from myself. However, with time, my confidence has grown so much. University brought me out of my shell and my acceptance of my hair loss has taught me to not feel as self-conscious of how I look. Although for some it comes with time and age, there are some smaller day-to-day things I do that help boost my confidence just a little; enough to give that feel-good, sassy, I-can-take-on-the-world feeling.

Emotive & Luxurious: Valeur Absolue Is More Than Just A Fragrance

It's always been said that fragrances are more about emotion than the actual scent itself. Spritzing on your favourite perfume is a sensory experience- yes, it may smell pretty, but the biggest impact is on the emotions that scent evokes. The focus of fragrance is how it makes you feel. We swap and change our perfumes with the seasons, picking something lighter and floral during spring, and perhaps more sensuous and mysterious during winter. This is because we choose our scent based on our moods and how we want the fragrance to make us feel. Valeur Absolue is a brand which capitalises on this emotive connection to the good-smelling stuff, creating an interesting range of perfumes designed to fit with and even change our mood.

Why Is Our Perfume Gendered?

It's another scheming way to get us to pump more money into the ever-expanding beauty industry; buy this perfume because it's for women, this is a men's only scent. From when we first start spending whatever shrapnel we have on beauty products that might make us look or feel a little fancier than before, we are told that women have a certain category of products, while men have their own designated list to choose from. While these differences may potentially have some sense behind them when it comes to, for example, skincare (due to the slight structural differences in our skin), it is far less certain when it comes to fragrance.

Dior J'Adore Touche De Parfum: The Innovative Oil For Fragrance Lovers

The world of fragrance is an ever-expanding environment, filled with scent experiments and combinations and and ground-breaking designs. Brands are constantly going the extra mile to come up with something a little bit different- something that'll turn heads within the industry and make perfume something other than a pretty bottle of nice smelling liquid. Dior have done just this with their innovative Touche de Parfum fragrance oil. Created by Francois Demachy, Dior claim that this new product provides "a new olfactory and sensory experience". Is this more than just another fragrance?

YSL Black Opium: The 'Glam Rock' Perfume That I Can't Get Enough Of

I'm not a massive perfume snob, but I know that I tend to go for light floral scents. Heavy, sticky, sweet fragrances have never appealed to me, that was until I walked by the YSL counter in Boots, Brighton recently. Enticed by the glamourous yet endearing black bottle perched on their side counter, I wandered over for a quick sniff and haven't looked back since. Launched back in September 2014, Black Opium marked itself as the third release in YSL's 'Opium' range and their new fragrance is interesting and mysterious enough to keep you coming back for more.

Travalo: A Practical Essential For Holidays And Festivals

Having just survived a 10 day holiday with only hand luggage to rely on (I know, life is so tough for me), I know how annoying those airport liquid restrictions are. Especially for a beauty addict, weeks worth of meticulous planning goes into what can be squeezed into the 20cm X 20cm plastic bag; what will make the cut, and what luxuries will have to be sacrificed. If only I discovered Travalo a little earlier; having ditched my perfume in order to fit in sun cream (priorities, eh), I really could have done with one of these little bottles to slip into the liquids bag.