Valentine's Day with So…? Burlesque Body Spray

So…? Burlesque Body Spray* link

I've always had something of a fascination with Burlesque ever since reading the Immodesty Blaize books and watching Dita Von Teese doing her thing in that martini glass. With Valentine's Day on the horizon and no man to practice my amateur skills on instead I'm going to enjoy the Burlesque scent from the So…? Fragrance line.

Available in both Eau de Toilette or body spray forms this is a fun and affordable line which I'd describe as a mature rather than sweet and sickly scent. Formally I can tell you the top notes are Mandarin, Blackcurrant and Apricot, heart notes Orange Flower, Jasmine, Rose and base notes of  Vanilla, Amber, Patchouli.

This body spray is a mere 98p in Superdrug at the moment and could make up a fun and cheeky Valentine's gift for a friend along with some tickets to see Fifty Shades of Grey - who says you need a man to celebrate with.

TokyoMilk Dark | Femme Fatale Collection Tainted Love No 62

TokoyoMilk Dark - Tainted Love link

I've talked before about how I'm not much of a perfume floozy. I know what I like and worry about owning too many could mean that they would go off before they can be enjoyed. That said I often have moments where I want something different from the usual scents and that's where Tainted Love from TokoyoMilk comes in.

I was strolling the aisles of Sephora on one of my US visits and spotted the mysterious looking black bottles which looked perfect for any boudoir. A quick sniff and Tainted Love caught my attention. I love picking out obscure perfumes. I remember my mum buying me Vivienne Westwoods Boudoir many years ago when it was first released and only available in Harrods and with TokoyoMilk Dark appearing to only be available in the US and international shipping not allowed of such things this was certainly going to be something individual. 

Typically the shelf was bare but one of the amazing Sephora assistants tracked one down in the stock rooms for me. I must admit there was a fleeting moment of 'do I actually want to buy this' but when she appeared with 'the last one' I decided it was obviously meant to be.

I can't tell you much about the brand other than what you too would find online. Margot Elena is the perfumer and designer behind TokoyoMilk putting together 'remarkably uncommon sensory experiences'. The bottles themselves are treated as a work of art and TokoyoMilk Dark features edgier scents with daring names such as Arsenic and Bulletproof. 

Standard blogger statement ahoy 'I'm really bad at describing fragrances' but I do recognise a similar theme of other fragrances with its' warm notes of  dark vanilla bean, sensuous sandalwood, provocative spices, and 'an unexpected kiss of sweet orchid'. The style is described as Inquisitive. Dramatic. Darling which I agree with.

Ginger Biscuit had it's place for the festive season but for after dark nights out this was the perfume I would reach for. 

Rush Hair Salon | Loughton

Rush Salon* link

As a blogger I'm invited to some fabulous events held at equally fabulous venues across London such as the House of Rush in Piccadilly to sample various treatments and learn about products. On this occasion I was invited to a more local venue, the newly opened Rush salon in Loughton Essex, a mere 15 mins away from home. 

Loughton is well now for it's TOWIE roots so it's no surprise that it's opening in December was by none other than Georgia from the programme but a couple of weeks ago it was this Essex girl that was invited for a wash and blow dry from one of their fabulous team.

If you walk down Loughton High Street you will spot some fairly glitzy salons and shops, Rush does not follow their lead and stands out with it's monochrome simplicity and let's their staff do the talking. Nina, who was to do my hair sat me down and asked what I would like to do that evening. I'm pretty care free about my hair, whilst I might have an idea of what I'd like I appreciate the stylists input on what I want and what will work from me. Nina suggested trying some flicks rather than the popular curls or bouncy blow-dries most girls, myself included will request.

I was taken to a separate room where my hair was washed which I really enjoyed. Hairdressing salons can be very buzzy places with lot's of chatter and noise from hairdryers and the like but this room allows you to lay back and relax whilst you hair is washed, conditioned and massaged to the point I could have happily fell asleep. My regular hairstylist visits my home and it's always the washing of my hair that I miss the most about the salon experience.

Nina took me back to the salon to work her magic with sprays, brushes and attention to detail. I can honestly say I've never had someone take such care and attention with each and every strand of my hair, walking round till she was completely satisfied with each and every flick. 

As mentioned I have a regular hairstylist but she isn't always available with short notice which is where local salons such as Rush in Loughton will be able to step in and I'll visit them with confidence whether for a blow dry or trim as required.

If you're a local Essex girl and looking for a new salon I can certainly recommend Nina at Rush in Loughton.

2014 Body Favourites & Goals

As 2015 is well underway my main goal for the body (ignoring any such 'have a figure to rival a Victoria Secrets model' fantasies) is to use body lotion on a more frequent basis. Slightly dull but I think many of us will admit it's the one product in our beauty rituals we are less than diligent with and for some reason I have an abundance of.

That said I was better in 2014 than any other. It may have taken me a year to finish a tub of Clinque Body Butter but I am getting better currently using Roger & Gallet's Bots D'Orange* and the favourite of 2014 Ameliorate both of which I initially spoke of in this post.

As I mentioned in my earlier  post Ameliorate is a pricey body lotion which is not a luxury item but one with a purpose and that is to treat 'chicken skin'. These two elements were what encouraged me to use the body lotion regularly because when I did I saw results. Admittedly as 2014 came to end so too did my use of Ameliorate whilst my legs were encased in thick tights for warmth and due to working my through the tube at a rapid rate. I am now rather than using as my standard body lotion applying it directly to the areas I need it's help to prolong it's use and enjoy other lotions in my stash. The results are evident and as such this will become a staple product for me.

Unlike body lotions, body scrubs are something I use regularly and my favourite has to be Soap & Glory's Breakfast Scrub, the second tub I repurchased recently. I have used other scrubs such as one from St Ives, another from The Body Shop seen in my December Empties but it's the Breakfast Scrub I return to. It balances the right consistency of being coarse enough to exfoliate yet smooth enough to be comfortable - and of course there's the scent which is perfect for Winter. As we move into Summer I'm looking forward to diving into my tub of Sugar Crush I received for Christmas and if I win the lottery I'd love to purchase the Jo Malone Vitamin E Body Treatment Scrub which is complete decadence should you have the budget.

The TheraPearl Heat Pad* featured in my Sick Day Saviours post and is used monthly to tackle the stomach pain and back ache that only fellow women can sympathise with. No longer am I suffering in silence or waking up with a cold 'hot' water bottle in the morning.

Radox as a budget brand is one I love. I have worked for them for many years before I knew or saw 'beauty blogging' as a 'thing'. There shower gels are always found in my bathroom and cannot be found fault with. Having recently tried other budget bubble bath brands by way of trying other things I will certainly be returning to Radox as the others fell short in comparison. Yes I love my higher end versions of both shower and bath products but for everyday these more than do the job without compromising on quality,

Finally the Gillette Venus & Olay razor I initially reviewed in this post has become a real favourite of mine. Since receiving the initial sample of this product I have gone on to repurchase more blades as I've really come to enjoy using it and other razors have been neglected in favour of this. It gives such a great shave and whilst additional shower gel isn't needed and depending on the shower gel in question things can get a tad gunky I love how smooth my legs feel and the ease in which shaving is done.

There is my list of body products that topped my list for 2014, what would be on yours?

*PR Sample

The Tiger Jewellery Haul

Bill Skinner Jewellery link 

Christmas certainly followed an animal jewellery theme as along with my flamingo items I also added some from another love, tigers and animal prints. I haven't received so much jewellery since my Tiffany and Pandora days and whilst this doesn't feature in the high end category I much preferring this style of junk or shall we say costume jewellery.

Bill Skinner jewellery is fantastic, not 'cheap' but affordable and I feel I'm starting a trend. There are few more pieces that have already made their way onto my 2015 Wishlist board on Pinterest and will likely be called upon as birthday gifts. I'm very extreme and it's either big earrings or studs and these tiger heads look great in the ear without being too OTT for daily wear.

The Avon pieces I spotted in a magazine which I forget now and flashed under my mum's nose. She took notice and the necklace and earrings which fall into the OTT area made their way into my Christmas stocking. I'm not sure whether I would wear both together but certainly as individual pieces they will accompany many a black dress in my future. Unfortunately both items are now sold out but they were very competitive in pricing around the £7.50 mark.

This style of jewellery will not be for everyone and some might call it tacky but not me. I love it and will wear them often. It holds a nostalgic appeal for me also as I remember my dad buying my mum the tiger head clasp bracelets which were originally popular in the 80s and are making their comeback.

Are you a fan of this style of jewellery?