Perfume Dupes: YSL and Chanel

Who knew that there were some incredibly good 'smell-a-likes' for our favourite perfumes? Well, until very recently, not us! Purely by accident we stumbled across Next Gold, a dead ringer for YSL Cinema which is one of my all time favourite scents.

Our Perfume Collection

We certainly do not consider ourselves to be big collectors of perfume and compared to most our collection is probably quite modest. However as its getting close to Christmas and after purchasing a couple of new fragrances ourselves this year we wanted to write a post about the scents currently in our joint perfume collection and hope you enjoy it!

 

Yves Saint Laurent Cinema

YSL Cinema is considered to be Elle's 'signature scent' with clementine, almond blossom and cyclamen we would describe it as a citrus vanilla-almond perfume. It lasts really well on the skin without being overpowering and it certainly attracts plenty of compliments when it is worn.

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle

Described as oriental-fresh with a floral jasmine-rose accord Coco Mademoiselle is a grapefruity floral scent with jasmine and musk base notes. It is sophisticated, long lasting and beautiful fragrance for special evenings out. It's quite pricey but worth a splurge if you are keeping it for special occasions.  

Jo Malone White Jasmine and Mint

This is our only Jo Malone fragrance and it has a bouquet of jasmine, lily, orange flower and rose with a very subtle hint of wild mint making it fresh, crisp and clean. It is a perfect summer fragrance.





L-R: YSL Cinema, Taylor Swift Wonderstruck, Jo Malone White Jasmine & Mint, Chanel Coco Mademoiselle

Fresh Sugar Lemon

We picked this scent up on a recent trip to the USA and love it! Again, this is a great summer fragrance as it is has a wonderful citrus scent with the mixture of fresh squeezed lemons and the sweetness of sugar.

 

Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black

We bought this Elizabeth and James rollerball in Sephora this past summer and it came in a set with its sister fragrance the Nirvana White. Nirvana Black is a woody fragrance and is somewhat masculine (it was created to be worn by both genders) The fragrance is built around violet, sandalwood and vanilla and it is beautiful when layered with the Nirvana White. 

 

 

Elizabeth and James Nirvana White

The Nirvana White is a more delicate scent with peony, muguet and musk notes making for a lighter more feminine scent than the Nirvana Black. We would definitely recommend layering this with the Black for a totally different experience. The Elizabeth and James brand is part of Mary-Kate and Ashley Ohlsens empire of products!  

Taylor Swift Wonderstruck 

This floral scent with fruity notes makes for a young and fresh perfume. Perfect for teens and twenty's!. Including hibiscus, honeysuckle, apple blossom and raspberry this is a distinctive but light enough scent that it can be worn both day and night. One of four available Taylor Swift perfumes, Taylor can do no wrong in our opinion!

Nest Fragrances Indigo

We had never heard of Nest Fragrances although we had come across their candles in the past. This mini rollerball came as a gift from Sephora as a 100 point perk and it is such a beautiful and unusual scent. The notes are Moroccan tea, Kashmir wood, cardamom and wild fig. 





What are your favourite fragrances? We would love to hear your recommendations!

Cream Blush - Not Just For Summer!

Cream Blush Clockwise L-R: Makeup Revolution Blush Palette, No & Pop and Glow, YSL Kiss and Blush, Revolution Blush Stick, YSL Crème De Blush, Chanel Le Blush Crème, Revlon Photoready, Bourjois Little Round Pot Cream Blush

I have been guilty in the past of relegating cream makeup products to the back of my drawer when Autumn/Winter rolls around. After all, creams are for Summer when you want to look all glowing and shimmery right? Well, maybe not! I believe that cream products can fit right into your Autumn/Winter make up collection and look just as great as the powder varieties especially if, like me, you suffer with dry skin in the colder months.  

I have to admit, until a couple of years ago cream blush was just not on my radar. I religiously used the powder variety and was happy to grab everything from Rimmel to YSL. As an oily skin girl I thought that a cream blush would make the situation worse and slide off my face after 5 minutes wear. Until the wind changed (and my 40th birthday passed!) and what felt like overnight my skin became more and more dry and flaky. The powder products were simply not working for me any more and while I experimented with skincare to alleviate the dryness I started to look to more cream based products as a solution.

I stopped powdering my skin after applying foundation and picked up a couple of cream blush products to try, the first being the Bourjois Little Round Pot Cream Blush. I have to confess after 20 plus years of slapping a highly pigmented powder blush on each day the cream variety took some experimenting to get right. However, this tiny cream blush pot in six shades is very easy to apply with a brush or your fingers and gives a lovely natural look to the cheeks. Once I got the hang of it I started to look to the higher end brands and one day at the YSL counter in Boots I was talked into purchasing their Creme De Blush. Big mistake! I got hooked, bought another two shades and wept buckets when they discontinued it to introduce their Baby Doll Kiss and Blush. The Creme De Blush was my holy grail product and I am yet to find a replacement that lives up to it, the Baby Doll is no substitute in my opinion and I don't like it nearly as much. If the blush/lip hybrid is up your street then try the Makeup Revolution The One Blush Stick as that is said to be a good dupe for the more than four times as expensive YSL Baby Doll!

Although she is also a lover of a good powder blush Mimi is addicted to the No 7 Pop and Glow Cream Blush Stick which she has in 2 shades. A blush stick is a great way to try cream blush as it is fuss free and you don't need a brush to apply it, simply sweep it on and blend with your fingers for a lovely natural finish.

While browsing the shelves of Superdrug last weekend (as you do!) I came across the Makeup Revolution All About Cream Blush Palette. With 8 generous sized cream blush shades ranging from a natural peach to a bright pink I knew I had to try it! I have experimented with a variety of the shades in the palette and am amazed at the value for money it offers! 6 beautiful shades and the blendability and pigmentation, just WOW! All this for only £6.00! It's a steal and a fantastic budget option.

Back to the higher end products and while I was mourning the demise of my YSL Creme De Blush I purchased the Chanel Le Blush Creme in Fantastic. Wow! The pigmentation is amazing and a very light touch is required to avoid looking like a clown! (I confess I have made this mistake!) This is a great cream blush option if you like a splurge. It comes in the classic Chanel packaging and has a mirror for touch ups on the go.

Finally, if you like the idea of the Chanel blush but your budget doesn't stretch to Chanel prices then take a look at the Revlon Photoready Cream Blush as an alternative. It comes in a small pot making it great to pop in your handbag and it has a creamy texture and buildable colour giving a glowing and natural flush. The four shades range from the peaches to the pinks so there should be something to suit everyone.

If you are not a cream blush user why not give some of these a try! I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Elle x