Anna Sui Flight Of Fancy Eau De Toilette

Hi there! Today’s post is about Anna Sui‘s Flight Of Fancy Eau de Toilette. I’ve been wearing this fragrance on and off for over a year now, so I thought it’s time for a review!

Alrighty! This fragrance contains the following notes: litchi, lemon, yuzu (top notes), freesia, rose, magnolia (heart notes), and amber, musk and woods (base notes).

I think Flight Of Fancy is a wonderful summer fragrance. It smells of sunny lemons with a touch of freesia. It’s fresh, full of energy, summery, yellow and happy. If you’ve ever wanted a fragrance that’s a mix of D&G Light Blue (which is lemon-fresh) and J Lo Live (which is incredibly juicy), this is it!

Anna Sui‘s Flight Of Fancy Eau de Toilette is available as 30, 50 and 75ml Eau de Toilette. In addition, Anna Sui does seasonal gift sets with matching body products!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Christina Aguilera Eau De Parfum

Hi there! Today’s post is about Christina Aguilera’s first fragrance – a.k.a. Christina Aguilera Eau de Parfum. I’m not the biggest fan of celebrity fragrances, but I saw this one on sale (£9.99 for a 50ml bottle, B&M Bargains), so I just picked it up.

What’s the fragrance like? Well, it contains exotic fruity notes and blackcurrant (top notes), plum, jasmin and peony (heart notes), and amber, musk and vanilla (base notes).

And what does it smell like? It’s a very nice fragrance for all occasions. It smells fruity, but it’s not too sweet, it’s light, and it has an almost transparent feel to it. However, it’s also feminine and it has a youthful and happy aura – and it doesn’t come across as cheap or as a teen fragrance at all.

I would recommend this fragrance to everyone. No matter if you’re looking for a new day fragrance for yourself or for a gift for a friend, this fragrance would be a safe choice. And if you’ve never smelled it, you need to change that!

Christina Aguilera Eau de Parfum. is available as 15ml, 30ml and 50ml. Prices vary greatly – depending on where you shop.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Yves Saint Laurent Saharienne Eau De Toilette

Hi there! Today’s post is about Yves Saint Laurent Saharienne. I bought the big 125ml bottle last year when I spotted it on sale at one of the big department stores. I’m more than halfway through the bottle, so it’s time for a review! 🙂

First of all, this fragrance contains the following notes: lemon, bergamot and mandarin (top notes), white flowers, cassis, orange flower, galbanum and petitgrain (heart notes), as well as ginger and pink pepper (base notes).

What’s the fragrance like? I think Saharienne is nothing more than a glorified cologne. It smells of bergamots and white flowers, it’s definitely a unisex fragrance, it’s very mediterranean, but it’s hardly more than an inoffensive (summer) office fragrance. And whilst I enjoy wearing Saharienne to the office, I wouldn’t repurchase it because it’s not very special.

It appears that Yves Saint Laurent Saharienne has been discontinued. None of the big retailers have it in stock. However, I have no doubt that it can be found online for years to come!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Guilty Pleasure – Jennifer Lopez Live Luxe Eau De Parfum

Hi there! I’ve been a fan of J Lo’s Live fragrance for quite some time. And a few weeks ago I found a similar looking fragrance online.

I did some research, and it turned out that I found Live’s “sister fragrance”! I bought it right away – it was  £12.95 for 100ml which is a total bargain! 🙂

I’ve been wearing this fragrance on and off for a few weeks now, so let me tell you more about Jennifer Lopez Live Luxe Eau De Parfum.

First of all, J Lo’s Live Luxe fragrance contains the following notes:
– peach, pear and melon (top note),
– freesia, honeysuckle and lily of the valley (heart note),
– and sweet vanilla, amber, musk and sandalwood (base note).

And what’s the fragrance actually like? I think that Live Luxe is a really nice fragrance. It smells of fresh fruits, vanilla and sweet flowers. It’s a well-rounded fragrance. And it has the same happy, yellow, juicy and summery vibe as Live, even though Live Luxe feels warmer and a little more dense.

I think Live Luxe is another great J Lo fragrance! And I’m saying this as someone who’s not a J Lo fan. In fact, I never really cared for J Lo’s music or her movies (or anything else she did or does now). But I have to say that Live and Live Luxe are great fragrances.

Have you tried Live or Live Luxe? Or would you like to try these fragrances? Feel free to get in touch via the comments. And thanks for reading!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Yves Rocher Retropical Eau De Toilette

Hi there! Today’s post is about Yves Rocher Retropical Eau De Toilette. Retropical is a limited edition fragrance, and I bought it off someone for £10. What a bargain! And yes, I’m really pleased with myself! 🙂

Before we get to the actual review, let me tell you a little more about the fragrance. Retropical contains fruity and aquatic notes (top note), floral notes (heart note) and warm woody notes (base note). I would have loved to know the actual fruits, flowers and woods. But Yves Rocher wasn’t more specific. Ah well…

So what’s the fragrance really like? It’s the dreamiest blend of marzipan, oranges, bubblegum, honey and sunlight. It’s sweet (adult-sweet, NOT sugary), tropical, warm, cuddly, exotic and happy. It smells like… the most beautiful relaxing summer holiday. Well done, Yves Rocher!

Yves Rocher Retropical is a limited edition fragrance from 2013. You won’t find it in YR stores or on YR’s web site anymore. So if you’re interested in this fragrance, look online. I see YR’s older limited editions popping up on that auction web site all the time. 😉

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Reducing My Samples Stash – Katy Perry Killer Queen, Etienne Aigner Clear Day & Jesus Del Pozo Halloween Fever

Hi there! And welcome to today’s episode of Reducing My Samples Stash. I have lots of fragrance samples that I need to get on top of. So I picked 3 random fragrance samples to test and review. And I’m starting with Katy Perry Killer Queen.

Killer Queen contains the following fragrance notes: dark plum, wild berry and bergamot (top notes), velvet flower, rainbow plumeria and natural jasmine sambac (heart notes), and cashmeran, natural patchouli heart and liquid praline (base notes).

What’s Killer Queen like? It’s a simple fragrance. An incredibly sweet one. It smells like a mix of plum, dark chocolate and patchouli. I can see that this fragrance might appeal to women who aren’t really into fragrances, but who like sweet fragrances nonetheless. I’ll pass the sample on to a young relative – I’m sure she’ll be happy to finish it!

Sample number 2 is Etienne Aigner Clear Day (the sample on the left in the picture below). Clear Day features the following fragrance notes: apple, yuzu, mandarin and bergamot (top notes), melon, strawberry, peach, jasmine, magnolia and rose (heart notes), and chocolate, caramel, leather, musk, woods and vanilla (base notes).

I think Clear Day smells like a more dated version of Hugo Woman! It’s Hugo Woman with extra musk, soap and leather. I would describe Clear Day as a light yellow, feminine, fresh and optimistic fragrance that’s very suitable for day wear (office, day off, weekends, all seasons). I wouldn’t buy a full-size bottle, but I will finish this sample.

And the third sample is Jesus Del Pozo Halloween Fever (the sample on the right in the picture above) which features the following fragrance notes: orange, bergamot and rose (top notes), apricot, jasmine, lotus and ylang-ylang (heart notes), and vanilla, musk, tonka bean and patchouli (base notes).

I think that Halloween Fever isn’t very special. It smells like lotus or waterlily hand wash. I mean it! Over the past 15 years I’ve bought several cheap hand washes and shower gels that smelled pretty much like this fragrance. I hope my teenage relative will be happy to finish this sample.

Have you tried any of these fragrances? If so, how do / did you like them? Feel free to tell me. And thanks for reading! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Reducing My Oldies Stash – I Love… Mango & Papaya Exfoliating Shower Smoothie + Refreshing Body Spritzer

Hi there! Today’s post is about I Love… Mango & Papaya Exfoliating Shower Smoothie and I Love… Mango & Papaya Refreshing Body Spritzer. I’m not entirely sure where and when I bought these products. But I’m sure I’ll be able to finish them this summer. Now onto the review!

I Love… Mango & Papaya Exfoliating Shower Smoothie is a true 2 in 1 product. It exfoliates my skin nicely, but it’s also a proper shower product. And it smells fruity and juicy. It’s really nice!

I Love… Mango & Papaya Refreshing Body Spritzer turned out to be just as nice. Initially I thought this body spray was OK, but after a  few days I started to like it. The mango & papaya fragrance is quite well done. It’s fruity and juicy, but it’s not cloyingly sweet. It smells just like… summer!

I Love… Mango & Papaya Exfoliating Shower Smoothie is available as 200ml, I Love… Mango & Papaya Refreshing Body Spritzer is available as 100ml. Superdrug no longer sells I Love…’s Mango & Papaya collection, so I’m not sure where you’d be able to get these products. But there are quite a few bargain stores that seem to stock I Love… products (incl. gift sets) from time to time, so don’t ignore those stores. 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Eva & Davis Fragrance Mists – Berries & Love, Green Inspiration, Vanilla Seduction

Hi there! Today’s post is about 3 fragrance mists I picked up from TK Maxx – Eva & Davis Berries & Love, Green Inspiration and Vanilla Seduction. These fragrance mists are described as lightweight, refreshing and non-greasy, and they promise hydration and antioxidant benefits.

Let’s start with my favourite! Berries & Love with wild berries and spring flowers smells amazing. It smells like a chilled red fruit jelly (raspberries, redcurrant, pomegranate…) without added sugar. It’s delicious!

Green Inspiration – with notes of green and white tea, bergamot, lime and precious woods – is really nice too. The white tea note is very strong but that’s fine because it’s so nice! By the way, this fragrance mist would be suitable for men too!

Eva & Davis Vanilla Seduction isn’t very enjoyable. It smells cheap. The vanilla and amber mix is too sweet and quite artificial. However, I think that people who love very sweet fragrances would like or love this fragrance.

I think 2 of these 3 fragrance mists are very good – definitely better than certain designer fragrances that you can find in department stores, and they’re much cheaper! I paid £4.99 per fragrance mist (TK Maxx).

I tried to find out more about the brand Eva & Davis, but their social media accounts and their web site have been abandoned, and there are no links to any stores that might sell their products. So I think it’s safe to assume they’re no longer in business which is a shame because I would have been happy to buy Berries & Love and Green Inspiration again!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Dolly’s Mixtures Piña Colada ‘Don’t Be Shy’ Shower Gel & Body Mist

Hi there! Today’s post is about two items I found at my local Asda – Dolly’s Mixtures Piña Colada Shower Gel & Body Mist. These products were on special – they were 75p each. 🙂 So I sniffed the shower gel and decided to pick up both items.

Now let’s have a closer look! Dolly’s Mixtures Piña Colada Shower Gel is really nice. The piña colada fragrance is quite authentic. I just love the strong pineapple aroma! Another thing I like is that this shower gel is actually more of a shower cream – it’s very gentle on my dry skin!

Dolly’s Mixtures Piña Colada Body Mist surprised me. Unfortunately not in a good way. I expected it to smell just like the shower gel. However, this body mist smells like 95% coconut with a hint of a non-descript fruity freshness. I’m not a big fan of coconuts in general, so I’ll be passing this body mist on to a teenage relative of mine. But if you love the smell of coconuts, this product is worth checking out.

Dolly’s Mixtures Piña Colada Shower Gel & Body Mist are exclusive to Asda. The shower gels (300ml) and the body mists (100ml) are usually £2 – but lots of Dolly’s Mixtures products have been on special for quite some time. Let’s hope the product line isn’t going to be discontinued! And if you swing by your Asda soon, don’t forget to give Dolly’s Mixtures Bubble Gum shower gel a sniff!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Body Fantasies Pink Grapefruit Fantasy & Japanese Cherry Blossom Perfume Body Sprays

Hi there! If you read my blog regularly, you know I don’t just hoard toiletries and nail polish – I also have a ridiculous stash of fragrances and body mists. And today’s post is about two cheap fragrances I picked up at Superdrug a while ago, Body Fantasies Pink Grapefruit Fantasy and Body Fantasies Japanese Cherry Blossom.

Pink Grapefruit Fantasy is a pleasant body mist. It smells like… summertime in Florida. I’d describe the fragrance as a mix of grapefruit juice and vanilla sugar. And I think this body mist is perfectly suitable for warm summer days. But, whilst I do like this body mist, it’s not my dream grapefruit fragrance.

Japanese Cherry Blossom isn’t a scent I particularly enjoy. In my opinion this body mist is too strong, too heavy and too dense. I can’t even ‘analyse’ the fragrance itself because I just find it overwhelming. And unfortunately it also reminds me of the deodorant my mum used to wear in the eighties. I think if you like floral scents, you might want to try this. But if you too struggle with dense floral fragrances, this one might not be for you. I’ll pass my bottle on to a teenage relative.

Body Fantasies Pink Grapefruit Fantasy and Japanese Cherry Blossom are available as 94ml Perfume Body Spray for £3.99 each at Superdrug (if you’re in the UK). I got these two for £1.99 each (half price offer), so I can’t really complain. 😉

Mrs Strawberry Blonde