Hey guys, 

As it is National Fragrance Week from the 5th - 11th March I thought what better way to celebrate then with a perfume themed blog post. I was invited to The Perfume Shop for a workshop on perfumes and learnt so much about how a fragrance is made and I thought it would be great to share my knowledge. Perfume has always been one of those things I love but find very hard to describe. And I have found out I am not alone as I often hear many bloggers/vloggers saying the same. So if you are looking to up your perfume game then keep on reading.

Firstly a little about the Perfume Shop Staff themselves. These guys are experts. So if you are ever in need, they knowledgeable. This isn't just from their experience with perfume, I was surprised to find out that the staff actually carry qualifications in fragrance and all take part in a 6 month in-house perfume school, which results in a diploma. Some then go onto gain a qualification from the Fragrance Foundation, an international independent education body. So these people really know their stuff and are there to guide you through your perfume experience.

I had a fabulous time at the event and love the way all of my senses were tantalised by pairing food with visual concepts and scents. For example we were given a rose flavoured chocolate while being shown a visual of roses and florals and then sprayed floral perfumes after. It intensified everything and was a very enjoyable way of experiencing a type of scent. I have come away knowing so much more about perfumes and feel a little more confident describing and talking about them. Here's what you need to know.

Ingredients:

To create a fragrance between 150-250 ingredients can be put together. There are three different types of ingredients:

Natural Ingredients - which are found in nature, for example rose, vanilla or patchouli

Nature identical Ingredients - these are natural but not traditionally used in general terms as they are quite expensive or may be unethical. For example Indian Sandalwood is a good example, as it is so hard to get hold of.

Synthetic Ingredients - an ingredient that is created to mimic the smell of something, for example a cupcake.

The Fragrance Wheel:

Fragrances can all be classified into a type and these have been categorised by Michael Edwards who is an expert in the field of fragrance. He has a wheel which shows where a fragrance can lie (click here). He has categorised more than 21,000 fragrances and has a book and app which can help you pick out certain scents, or find out ingredients of your favourite perfume. The Perfume Shop can then use this to help you pick a fragrance.

Floral - These are romantic scents which contain essential flowers. Think feminine, elegant and graceful, e.g Chloe, YSL Paris.

Oriental - This is a very rich scent, it is smooth and luxurious, almost creamy. The main ingredient is Vanilla. e.g Guerlain Shalimar, YSL Black Opium.

Woody - Deep, earthy scents that are very intense. e.g Dior Fahrenheit, Paco Rabanne Black XS.

Fresh - These can be water, citrus, green or fruit based scents e.g Chanel Allure homme sport, Issey Miyake L'eau D'issei.

These can all blend into one another, for example you can geta floral-oriental,  oriental-woody, woody-fresh, fresh-floral going around the wheel. 

Notes:

A fragrance is made up of a Top, middle/heart and base note.

Top  - This is the smell that first hits you and is usually a citrus smell or a synthetic fruit smell. It will evaporate quite quickly and only last up to 10 minutes.

Middle/Heart - This smell then builds on the top note and is usually a floral note, it  usually comes out at around 20 minutes after you have sprayed the product.

Base - The base note then appears 45 minutes after the product has been applied and builds on the middle note. Base notes tend to be quite intense ingredients such as musk, amber or vanilla.

It is interesting to note here that you get the true essence of the perfume 45 minutes after you have first applied. This actually might explain why I prefer classic perfumes as I have smelt them time and time again in their true state.

An Accord is a blend of three or four notes which create a unique odour and are the base character of a fragrance.

Oil concentration:

Parfum - Contains 20-30% pure perfume and can last up to 8 hours

Eau de Parfum - Contains 15-20% pure perfume and can last up to 6 hours

Eau de Toilette - Contains 5-15% pure perfume and can last up to 4 hours

Eau de Cologne - Contains 2-4% pure perfume and can last up to 2 hours

An example of what engraving may look like.

The Perfume Shop have also started to offer engraving on most bottles which I think is fantastic as it adds that little extra to a bottle especially if it is for a special occasion. With Mother's Day just around the corner this couldn't have come at more of a perfect time as it's the perfect present for Mother's day! The Perfume Shop luckily gifted me my Mother's Day Present for my mum, a 50ml bottle of Gucci Guilty which I'm hoping she will love!

If you still feel like you need a little more information, make sure you visit the Perfume Shops's website where they have videos to answer all your fragrance questions!

Amina xx

Hey guys,

Do you remember 'So...?' fragrances? For some reason they totally appear in my memory from the 90's. I remember being a kid and my sisters buying the body sprays from the local pharmacy (drugstore). But I have a 10 year period of complete blank. I don't know why, because we were so obsessed with them. More recently I have seen them in stores again and on the blogosphere, so when they contacted me I couldn't wait to review their new range and see if they were still as good as they used to be.

First up from the floral scents range we have the Fresh Floral Body Mist (£3.99). This is such a lovely fresh scent. It totally reminds me of fresh linen and that really clean kind of smell, which I love. It has a blend of peach blossom and peony flowers, which literally smell how they sound. I have found myself wearing this quite a lot. Also, because they are fragrance mists, I find myself reaching for them when I don't want too much of a dominant smell. It's a scent you can wear all year round and personally I think is suited to day wear.

The packaging on these is so eye catching, made from plastic, but look like glass. They look fab on my dresser all lined up. I was also sent the Sweet Pea Body Mist (£3.99). This has a very irresistible aura. It smells so sweet, and makes you smell almost good enough to eat! It is made up of white flower and sugary sweet pea. This is definitely more suited to an evening as it is so strong. Honestly, it is probably my least favourite out of the collection, as I'm not a fan of sweet scents, but even so, I have still worn it a few times and would class it as a nice scent.

Overall, for the price, I think these are all such good value for money. They last long but don't feel heavy on. I am so glad I was reintroduced to 'So...?'. I have a reignited love for the brand. These are definitely a product I will continue to use on myself and my daughters! Have you tried 'So...?' before? What fragrance should I try next?

Amina xx

*PR gift. All opinions are my own.

Hey Guys,

This week I thought I would share with you some perfumes that I have recently purchased, or been gifted, that I am loving. It's funny how it's not until you do a blog post, you realise how many perfumes you have. But it just so happened that I had run out of a few perfumes, and it coincided with my birthday, so I decided to treat myself. I'll stop trying to justify myself now.

Perfumes are definitely a very personal thing, however I have got a mixed bag of scents coming up, so make sure you have a look through to see if anything suits you!

Jo Malone London - Woodsage & Sea Salt (Cologne, 30ml, £44)

So first up I have this amazing Jo Malone Cologne in Woodsage & Sea Salt. I was lucky enough to receive a voucher from my friends for my birthday, so decided to splurge on this beautiful perfume and an accompanying shower gel in Peony & Blush Suede. I felt very spoiled when I attended the store as I managed to get a lovely arm and hand massage, which added a little bit of luxury to my experience. And this is totally what this brand is - luxury. Because of this you can expect the scent to linger for ages and to be honest their scents are very original and not your average. I opted for  Woodsage & Sea Salt, as I love woody fragrances with a little bit of spice. It has a top note of ambrette seed which gives a very opulent feel and a base note of sage which makes it very earthy and fresh. What makes it even better is it is unisex, so the hubby and I can match (barf!)

Monsoon - Rose Gold (EDP, 30ml, £24)*

Carrying on with the luxurious feel, next up we have Monsoon's signature fragrance - Rose Gold. You all know what I'm going to say... ROSE GOLD! *Heart eyes emoji* As soon as I saw the packaging I was like forget what it smells like, this is going pride of place on my dresser, and it hasn't moved since! But the beauty doesn't stop at the packaging, it truly is a lovely fragrance too. When I sprayed it, I loved it straight away as it just oozed sophistication. It is a feminine scent, with vanilla, musk and amber notes. It has a fruity accord with notes of mandarin and lemon, which when combined produce a more-ish fragrance. It's definitely one I would wear on date night and I can see myself using for a very long time - it has become a favourite.

Accessorize - Lovelily (EDP, 75ml, £19)*

Now for another great addition to my collection, Lovelily by Accessorize. When I saw the packaging I immediately thought it would be a very floral and sweet scent, which is totally not me. However I was pleasantly surprised at how wearable this fragrance actually is. I thought it would be over-bearing, and a little heady, but it's not at all. I would describe the overall smell as floral, as it has hints of jasmine and vanilla. It's quite a fun fragrance and I could definitely see myself wearing it when I go out shopping or when meeting my best girl friends for a catch up. It's quite versatile, in that I have also found myself spritzing my little girls with it and it would be perfect as a gift too. I love the packaging and how the bottle is hexagonal. The little flower in the lid just adds that extra bit of excitement and I like how the pink follows down into the bottle to resemble a stem.

Primark Private collection - Rose Oud (EDP, 100ml, £8)

Now when I say bargain, I actually mean BARGAIN. Seeing how this product is eau de parfum (EDP), meaning it has a higher percentage of pure perfume compared to eau de toilette (EDT) or eau de cologne (EDC), this is value for money.  I love rose-scented products and had heard so much about these in the blogosphere, that I had to get my hands on whatever stock Primark had, which just so happened to be Rose Oud and Jasmine & Honey scents. Rose Oud is not for the faint-hearted, it is a very strong smell which is quite opulent and decadent. It is floral with quite a woody top note. It reminds me of sandal wood incense and I'm still not sure the scent is for me. However, the price is for me and it had to be bought. In terms of staying power, I wouldn't say it lasts quite as long as other EDPs I have, so maybe it's on the lower percentage of pure perfume, but it is definitely worth a purchase!

Primary Private Collection - Jasmine & Honey (EDP, 20ml, £3)

I bought this perfume because of the fantastic size it comes in, I thought it would be perfect for my hand bag when I need a quick top up and it really has been. Again I bought this because it was one of the only scents that were left but I have really enjoyed using it. It is not a stand out scent, in that I don't think it will get people asking you what you are wearing, if you know what I mean. However it is a very pleasant smell which is quite sweet, zesty and refreshing at the same time.

So those are my recent perfume buys and none of them really break the bank (well apart from the Jo Malone), but I think I also have some great alternative options to the standard designer brands. What's your favourite perfume? Have you tried any of these recently?

Amina xx

*PR Gift. All opinions are my own.