Mother's Day Gift Guide!

Well hello May! With Mother's Day fast approaching, I thought I'd put together my recommendations for lovely presents, in the form of my (hopefully!) helpful Mother's Day Gift Guide! I'm a Mum myself, so I'm well aware some of us have a tendency to put ourselves last. So this Guide will be focussed on gorgeous products that Mums can relax and pamper themselves with. Because if there's any day we should indulge in 'me time' on, it has to be Mother's Day! Read on for some delightful pampering gifts ideas and let me know which is your favourite in the comments!

GUESS 1981 Eau de Toilette Spray*
This fragrance comes in a cute pale pink box and the bottle itself is minimal and stylish, with a round design and a square silver lid. Described as elegant, sophisticated and graceful, the scent is feminine, modern and sexy. Guess 1981 would be perfect for date night, as it's sensual and musky with a strong floral scent. In terms of composition, the top notes are violet and ambrette seed, with a fruity and floral heart of pear, jasmine petals and sandalwood and a base of musk, amber and cedar wood.  Available in 50ml and 100ml eau de toilette bottles, you can either go all out and buy this as Mum's major gift, or get the super-cute smaller size and add it as an extra gift to spoil her!

Available from May. Stockists unavailable at time of posting. Priceline and Chemist Warehouse stock Guess fragrance though, so my best Guess (haha) would be there.

Oh Deer Sugar Ombre Bubblebath Macarons
This three pack of ombre bubblebath macarons are possibly the cutest thing I've ever bought! I fall more in love with Oh Deer Sugar every time I step inside this South Australian non-edible bakery, and I went so far as to treat myself with an online haul the day they released their Mother's Day range! (Look out for that blog post in the future). These smell amazing and are pink, pretty and the perfect Mother's Day gift because everyone loves a fragrant bubblebath, right? The scents are apricot and grapefruit, peaches and cream and peony and nectarine. I talk about Oh Deer Sugar Oh Peachy Keen Shower Moose in my March Favourites and the Oh Passion Rose & Passionfruit Shower Moose in my September Favourites, such is my love for these products.

Available at Oh Deer Sugar in Regent Arcade, Adelaide or at Oh Deer Sugar online.

Sally Hansen Color Therapy Nail Polish*
The reason this is 'color therapy' is because the formula contains Argan Oil, so it's supposed to 'care while you wear'. I love multi-tasking products, and this is a nail polish, top coat, cuticle and nail oil in one! I have trialled these polishes and I really love them. I think combining nail colour (which a lot of us enjoy wearing) with a nail treatment is a fantastic idea, because multi-tasking for the win, right guys? I can recommend the shade Pampered in Pink (third from the left in the above photo - check out my Manicure and Review of that here) because it's bright, cheerful, feminine and I love how it looks on my nails. I think a lot of other Mothers would love it, too!

Available at Priceline, Target, Kmart, Chemist Warehouse, Woolworths and Coles.

Urban Rituelle Wellness Cleansing Bars*
If you're looking for something a little bit special this Mother's Day, I can highly recommend these luxurious cleansing bars from Urban Rituelle. They're a bit more expensive than other soaps, but they are high quality, super large in size so they last ages and the fragrances are out of this world! Before I wax lyrical about the scents, these cleansing bars from the new Harvest range are also palm oil free, vegan friendly and Aussie made using 100% naturally derived ingredients. Being a huge citrus lover, I was delighted to trial Grapefruit, Lemon, Pineapple & Celery; Blood Orange, Papaya & Mandarin and lastly Lemon Myrtle, Lemongrass & Muddled Mint. The other fragrances are Guava, Cranberry & Goji Berries; Rose Infused Coconut Water, Cucumber and Aloe and lastly Coconut, Honey, Almond & Chia.

Available at Urban Rituelle online or click here for Stockists in your area.

Weleda Tinted Lip Balm in Rose*
I've really been enjoying my Weleda Tinted Lip Balm in the Rose shade lately and think it would make a great addition to any Mother's Day gift. The formula is creamy and slightly moussey, the product feels beautiful on the lips and the finish is a flattering, shimmery light pink colour. It's like wearing a balm that's hydrating and moisturising your lips, nourishing them and making them softer whilst also giving you a soft wash of colour. This range also comes in Nude, but this is too light for my skin tone, and Berry, which I don't have so I can't comment on that one. The balm smells of rose petals and vanilla, which is an added bonus! Click here to read my probably too cheeky Brand Focus on Weleda.

Available at David Jones, selected health food stores, pharmacies, online stores and Weleda online.

Natura Siberica Active Organics Revitalizing Bath Salts*
I highly recommend these Revitalizing Bath Salts from Natura Siberica; I've used them before and seriously didn't want my tub of goodness to end! They provide an incredibly relaxing bath that would be perfect for Pamper Sunday, or Pamper any-day-of-the-week! The fragrance of these herbal salts is freakin' delightful. Even my nine year old son, who turns his nose up at a lot of smells despite producing questionable ones himself (heh), went "ahhh" when he smelt these. The ingredients include Siberian Ginseng, Rose Hip Oil and Calendula Flower Extract. I've reviewed this lovely product here.

Available at Natura Siberica online or discounted at Chemist Warehouse.

Harvest Garden French Green Clay Facial Masque*
To add to Mum's 'me time' on Mother's Day, you can't go wrong with a lovely face mask. I'm a big believer in Pamper Sunday, which usually involves a relaxing bath, a face mask and a DIY manicure if I get around to it! This Harvest Garden Facial Masque contains French Green Clay, Olive Green Australian Clay, Matcha Green Tea and Aloe Vera extract. The super-fun part is that you mix it yourself and paint it on with a brush; I love this because it brings out the artist in me! The benefits are refined pores, a reduction in irritation and revitalized skin. Clay draws out impurities, clarifies and detoxes the skin. I love Harvest Garden products and you can read my review of more from their range here.

Available at various pharmacies, health food stores, florists, giftware stores and Harvest Garden online.

Rustic Bliss Lemon And Lime Bath Milk*
Have you guessed yet that I have a penchant for bath products? This lemon and lime milk dissolves leaving you with an amazing, zesty, citrus-smelling bath that is super relaxing! I love the sweet candy-like fragrance of this Blissful bath milk that's invigorating and soothing at the same time. Check out my review of this gorgeous Rustic Bliss product here.

Available at Rustic Bliss online.


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Disclaimer: Products marked * were provided for editorial consideration. Reviews are my honest opinion. There are no affiliate links in this post; links are for information purposes only. Please see the Disclosure page for further information.

What are your plans for Mother's Day this year? Do any of these gifts take your fancy?

Moschino Fresh Couture!

Hello! Today I'll be posting about Moschino Fresh Couture Eau De Toilette. You've probably seen this perfume all over Instagram by now, because let's face it, the bottle design is certainly interesting! The novelty factor is off the charts with this one; the bottle is made to look like Windex, right down to the spray nozzle! That spray nozzle is just for show incidentally; you lift off the red and white plastic lid and spray from the actual silver spray thingamajig underneath. I love the design, it's so quirky and unique, and a huge talking point! I won this fragrance along with a bunch of others from a competition Beauty Crew ran over Christmas (lucky me!).

'Moschino Fresh Couture is a surprising perfume which plays with fresh and joyful accents and a tempting femininity.'

Real Windex!

The back of the bottle tells us that FRESH works best on: a date, at work, to a formal event and much more! And the cheeky Caution section warns us that this perfume may make you feel fresh! I really like the light blue colour of this fragrance, and must say it makes my perfume collection look a lot more interesting. Despite appearing to be window cleaner, the bottle is glass, not plastic. So let's talk about the actual fragrance!

'The sparkling and compelling top note is composed of a bright accord of mandarin and bergamot, enriched with the intense and exotic character of ylang ylang. A juicy and inviting touch of raspberry adds a colourful and amusing contrast to the floral heart, made of an elegant and velvety accord of white peony and osmanthus. The dry-down underlines the refined and contemporary character of the perfume, thanks to a luminous and sensual trail of clear woods, white patchouli and ambrox.'

So in a nutshell, the notes are: Bergamot, Mandarin, Ylang Ylang, Raspberry, White Peony, Osmanthus, Cedarwood, White Patchouli and Ambrox.

I have to be careful with perfumes, as strong ones often give me headaches, but I don't have that problem with Fresh. I feel like the scent is at its most potent when first spritzed, but after it settles down it's a lovely clean, happy, pretty scent that's perfect for Summer. To me it smells quite floral, but not in an overpowering way, with a slight citrus aroma and an overall sexy tone. Haha. It's really hard to describe fragrances, so cut me some slack, lol.

I'd recommend this for lovers of fresh, clean scents, ladies who love collecting perfume or are into interesting bottle designs and clean freaks as a joke present. LOL.

You can get this unique EDT in 50ml for $95 and 100ml for $125 at Myer and David Jones.

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Disclaimer: Reviews are my honest opinion. Quotes are from the Myer website. Please see the Disclosure page for further information.

Have you tried Fresh? What sort of perfume do you like wearing?

Review: So ... ? Fragrances

Have you tried So ... ? Fragrances? I feel like I'm the only person who hasn't! When I posted about these perfumed sprays on my social media, people commented that they had grown up using So ... ? and it was a hit of nostalgia for them! My ancient arse grew up with Impulse as my affordable aroma of choice and I have a faded memory of the hilarious TV ads for Impulse. So I was thrilled to be given the chance to try a couple of So ... ? scents recently, and here are my thoughts on them!

SO ... ? Body Fragrance*

This one comes in a red can and doesn't have a themed word after the So... ?, SO I'm guessing it's the original... ? (Tell me if the ... ? gets old and I'll knock it off immediately). We are told that SO ... ? is fragrance with attitude and to "spray all over the body and experience the unique scent of So ... ?".

I found this scent to be light, pleasant, and floral, although I'm not the best at describing scents, so hopefully I'm not totally off the mark. I've been spritzing this during the day as it's a perfect subtle aroma that won't be overpowering in the classroom at the ungodly hour of 8:43am (yes we get there two minutes before the bell, what of it? lol). I'm one of those people that gets headaches from strong scents, but I'm pleased to say this did no such thing. This would be great for a teenager as a first scent (please don't tell me they start wearing perfume before the age of thirteen - although I have just started insisting my nine year old wears deodorant, but that's because he's a smelly boy, lol).

On further investigation, the original So ... ? contains notes of tangerine, orange blossom and vanilla.

So ... ? Sinful*

Hold on to your pantaloons ladies and gentleman, because here's where things get sexy! This Sinful fragrance is housed in a purple can with what I think is a picture of a cocktail, two people kissing and either the Sydney Opera House or a shark as a backdrop. Given the fact that So ... ? is made in the UK, the Opera House makes no sense whatsoever, so it's most definitely a shark, you guys.

Now this is a stronger, sultry scent more suited to evening spritzing, but who am I to tell you when to spray it? Maybe you want to seduce the Accountant in your office, in which case you should throw it in your handbag and spray yourself liberally at every given opportunity throughout the day until he notices you, Goddammit.

And because I couldn't say it any better, here's an impressively descriptive quote from Beauty HQ:

"So...? Sinful hosts a hypnotic aroma with top notes of mint and pineapple followed by heart notes of violet and strawberry. A creamy and tempting base note of vanilla, praline and musk completes this spellbinding scent."


So..? Fragrances are available in 30ml eau de toilette, 50ml eau de toilette, and 100ml eau de toilette and 150ml body fragrance.

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Disclaimer: All products marked * were provided for editorial consideration. Reviews are my honest opinion. There are no affiliate links in this post. Please see the Disclosure page for further information. Now go and make that Accountant yours!

What's your favourite So ... ? fragrance?

Haulin' It: Chi Chi, Benefit Cheekathon + Perfumes!

Oh hey! I thought I'd blog about my latest hauls in one post, since I got all these beauties in the space of two days. I went shopping in the city yesterday, and it didn't escape my attention that Priceline had up to 60% off fragrances. So my first stop of the day was the usually pretty empty Hindley Street store, which I'm sure most people forget about! Perfect. I had a list of ten fragrances I wanted to smell, and was promptly helped with spritzing on tester cards. I finally decided on Calvin Klein Eternity Summer and my old favourite, YSL Paris, although they only had the 30ml. I'm happy with this, because I'd just finished my bottle of Paris so was due for another one!

Calvin Klein Eternity Summer EDP 100ml ~ YSL Paris EDT 30ml

******

I've been eyeing off the Chi Chi Spices eyeshadow palette lately, and when I heard Target had a 30% off Chi Chi sale, I knew I had to visit. Apparently there was a big Chi Chi sale at Myer a few weeks ago, but I hadn't watched a million Chi Chi palette Youtube videos at that point, so I wasn't craving it yet! But first, I was in Myer, scoping the GWP offers for the Mother-In-Law, when I spied a $1 Clearance table. I bought the Miss Shop Metallic Body Tattoos just for fun and the gold and silver Chi Chi eye crayons out of curiosity and because I know they'll be fun to play around with. Besides, how can you go wrong for a paltry $3!? I noticed Myer had 20% off Chi Chi, and they had the Spices palette in stock, but I thought I'd get it from Target for 30% off instead.

Miss Shop Metallic Body Tattoos ~ Chi Chi Metallic Eyeshadow Crayon Sticks in Solid Gold Dancer and Cyber Vixen

******

Of course Target were sold out of the Spices palette! They did have quite a few other Chi Chi palettes though, and I decided to go with the gorgeous Sunkissed one since it was 30% off all Chi Chi products. The more I look at it, the more I fall in love with the array of oh-so-pretty shades! I grabbed an eyeshadow brush while I was there because I don't have many makeup brushes and I'm using the only two eyeshadow ones I have for highlighting my cupid's bow and setting my under eye concealer with powder, instead of their intended use.

Chi Chi Glamorous Eye Shadow Collection in Sunkissed ~ Chi Chi Angled Eyeshadow Brush 112

******

Remember when I said I ordered the Benefit Cheekathon in this Mother's Day Gift Guide post? Well my Adore Beauty order arrived, and this awesome value for money cheeky palette is every bit as beautiful as I thought it would be! I used the code offer to get the Benefit samples and the others were the freebies you get with your order (not that I need any more! I'm already doing a Sample Challenge this month!). 

Benefit Cheekathon ~ free Tim Tam ~ Samples: Dermalogica Active Moist, GHD hairclips, Benefit The POREfessional Pro Balm, Benefit The POREfessional Agent Zero Shine Pro Powder

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What have you hauled lately?

Top 7 Beauty Purchase Regrets!

I think we've all bought things that seemed like a good idea at the time, only for it to become abundantly clear later on that it was, in fact, a rather shit idea. Sometimes, I even know it's a shit idea at the time I'm buying it, but my brain is still egging me on, insisting I MUST HAVE IT. Make yourself a coffee, sit back, relax and enjoy the gloriously bad decisions I've made, with my Top 7 Beauty Purchases Regrets!

Looks good in the tube...

7. Australis Velourlips Matte Lip Cream in Hon-O-Loo-Loo
When Australis first released this collection of matte creams I was so excited. I think we all were! Don't get me wrong, some of the shades are lovely. Just not this one, on me. I swatched this on my arm in Priceline and it looked so pretty I immediately fell in love and knew it had to be mine. Of course I completely forgot my arm and my lips are two vastly different colours and just because the arm swatch looked good didn't mean this would translate to my face. Hon-o-loo-loo is way too light and impressively manages to make my lips disappear into my face whilst simultaneously making my teeth appear yellow. Sexy! Hey, at least it's a multi-tasker.

6. Ulta3 Nail Colour in Honolulu
OMG, Honolulu again! How freaky is that? OK, so as much as I love Ulta3 for its cheap as chips rainbow of nail polish colours, the fact still remains, this is yellow nail polish. I have never worn this and I probably never will. Why did I buy this? Do I not know myself at all? Was I having an identity crisis that day? Did I have a particular nail art idea in mind? Had I been watching too much Sesame Street (damn you, Big Bird!)? I mean it's not even a pale lemon or pastel yellow, for shit's sake. It's..... well, it's Honolulu, and it's hideous.

What an extravagant cock ring!

LOL

5. Giant Hair Donut
I don't even know what brand this is, or its proper name (probably because I ripped the packaging off in an excited frenzy to try out my new hair bun maker, lolol *cries*), but it's huge. And therein lies the problem. I do not have huge amounts of thick hair. My hair is fine, and so damn fine (hey, girlfriend!) that it's a massive struggle to wrap it around this bastard contraption ensuring it's all covered. I used this once, and I remember spending ages poofing my hair around this 'donut' until my ugly bun covered up all the stupid sponge. Then I took countless photos, ripped it out, threw it to the back of the cupboard and went to my room to sulk. LOL.

What a stunning bottle though!

4. Lolita Lempicka Eau De Parfum
Oh My God, the bottle is so cute! It's shaped like an apple and has gold accents and the spray button looks like an apple stem and I have to have it! And so I did. I ordered it online, without even smelling it first. I'm not joking. This is the power of gorgeous packaging/bottle design, people. I am not proud of this impulse purchase. Turns out the scent of Lolita Lempicka gives me a huge motherflipping headache, so I can't actually wear it. At least it looks pretty. High Fives all round!

Yeah right!

Put this on the front of your packet, Lip Rock!

3. Lip Rock Metallic Lip Foils
I won't lie, the idea of having metallic gold lips excited me. The 'Reduced To Clear, Was $5.50, Now $2.00' sticker did not raise any red flags whatsoever, instead cementing the decision to purchase in my head. This was happening, goddamnit! You'll be shocked to know, my lips looked nothing like the perfect, shiny gold plump kissers on the packet. These were a bitch to apply, came out uneven, didn't adhere to my lips properly and weren't even gold. I chose my blurriest photo then filtered the crap out of it before posting it to Instagram, that's how bad it looked. #truthbomb

Seems sensible

hahaha

2. Lime Crime Lipstick in No She Didn't
Yes, she fucking did! Hehe. And she regretted it almost immediately. Because it's blue lipstick. It's blue (like the nail polish was yellow); you just can't get around the fact. But more astonishing is knowing that that's the reason I wanted to buy this in the first place. I wanted blue lips! I'm an introvert, so it's not as if I'm ever wearing this outside the house. I have to work up the courage to wear Airborne Unicorn out, FFS. And no, I don't do the Zombie Walk or go to Fancy Dress parties ever. I have absolutely no use for this, besides slicking it on so my family can point at me and laugh.

1. BYS Eyeshadow in Limited Edition NEONS
Wow. Take a look at this thing! Soak up those fluorescent shades with your now-damaged vision. Marvel that the designer behind this palette had their super-fun novelty hues approved. What lovely, flattering, wearable colours, said noone ever. This jarringly hideous neon eye palette literally makes my eyeballs vomit. I can only imagine I was feeling nostalgic when I saw this, because I do love the '80s. More the movies and music than the makeup, but still. I like that BYS made this a Limited Edition, and yet I hope that I didn't get this thinking 'ooh, only available for a limited time, better grab one before they sell out!'. Because I'm pretty sure I'm the only idiot who actually bought one. Are you jealous?

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What's your biggest beauty purchase regret?

Katy Perry's Mad Potion!*

Are you a fan of Katy Perry? I am. I love that she's ballsy and stands up for herself. I love that she makes mistakes (Russell Brand and John Mayer to name a few!) but comes out the other side a better person. I love that she wears sparkly, pretty costumes on stage and dyes her hair every colour of the rainbow. I love her music (lucky, because my son is obsessed with 'Roar', so it's on high rotation!). But most of all, I love that she's not Miley Cyrus.

I already own two Katy Perry fragrances; Meow! which comes in a cute kitty-shaped bottle, and the more upmarket Killer Queen Royal Revolution, housed in a gorgeous blue gem-shaped bottle. I was recently sent her new perfume Mad Potion* to try, and I've been wearing it every day since. Mad Potion is proving to be a cute little bottle of fun! Unlike some strong scents, it doesn't trigger my headaches, because it's light and quite subtle to wear. I appreciate being able to spritz on a scent that's not overpowering, especially now the weather's warming up and I want to feel fresh and not weighed down by a heavy fragrance. Mad Potion is an oriental musk with a bewitching mix of vanillas. It's a lovely fresh scent perfect for the start of Spring. This magical elixir consists of......

Top - Tahitian Vanilla Orchid, Apple Musk and Pink Peonies

Heart - Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla, Creamy Musk and Jasmine Petals

Base - Mexican Vanilla Bean Absolute, Magical Musk and Glowing Amber

The perfume bottle design is pretty cute! It's shaped like a little magical potion bottle with a round plastic purple and sparkly silver glitter pull-off lid. The bottle itself is frosted glass and it's the product inside that's coloured bright pinky-purple! This reminds me of Lady Gaga's 'Fame' perfume, which is a black liquid. I know it's a gimmick, but I still find it exciting to spray on a coloured fragrance, even though the tiny amount that comes out means you can't really make out the hue on your skin anyway. I guess it makes it pretty clear (or purple!) how much product is left in the bottle, though!

Mad Potion is a fun, pleasant scent, subtle and versatile enough to wear for any occasion, from an office job, to the shopping mall or a day at the beach. I feel like this one would be perfect for teenage girls. It gives off a playful, young, whimsical vibe. It's a pretty pinky-purple colour, there's a glitter lid and basically I can't help but smile when I pick it up. If you're a member of the Priceline Sister Club, you may have received a sample card of Mad Potion in the mail recently (see photo below). Be sure to swipe it on and see how it wears on you!

Katy Perry's Mad Potion Eau de Parfum is available from Priceline, Myer, Chemist Warehouse and selected pharmacies and retails for $39 (30mls), $49 (50mls) and $69 (100mls).

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*Disclaimer: This product was provided for editorial consideration. This is a non-sponsored post and all opinions are my own.

What's your favourite celebrity fragrance?