My pick of the best Spring fragrances

Spring is finally on the way, and it's time to ditch your heavy winter scent for a lighter fresher spring fragrance.
Just in time for Mother's Day I've compiled a list of the best new fresh spring fragrances so you can treat your mum or simply update your perfume collection.

Stella McCartney L.I.L.Y
Eau de parfum
£44-£76
What is perhaps sweetest about this gorgeous light spring scent is the name, L.I.L.Y stands for 'Linda I Love You', Stella's dad Paul's nickname for her mum. Stella says it makes her think of her mum and her childhood in the English countryside, so it makes the perfect gift for Mother's Day.
Predictably then it is a beautiful floral scent, with notes of Lily of the Valley. The stunning bottle fuses vintage style with modern art and would look perfect on any stylish sophisticated woman's dressing table.

L'Eau De Chloé 

Eau de toilette

£36.50-£51

Lovers of the original Chloé will fall in love all over again with this new lighter version. Re-worked for spring, the new floral fragrance is a refreshing blend of rose petals, citrus and patchouli. The bottle is similar to the original fragrance but in a fresh light green colour. With it being eau de toilette the fragrance is lighter and doesn't last as long as the original fragrance, but this is reflected in the price. This is the perfect fragrance for someone who likes to smell fresh without being overpowering.

Roberto Cavalli 

Eau de parfum

£35-£62

From the stunning bottle to the sensuous scent, everything about Roberto Cavalli's new fragrance exudes glamour. The shape of the bottle was designed to mirror a woman's curves, and from the tiger print neckline to the tiara crowning the lid, Roberto Cavalli has put his signature style all over it. Everything about this perfume is sexy, mixing amber with pink pepper and orange blossom, it is the perfect fragrance for a strong, confidant woman who loves to be noticed and turn heads.

Nina Ricci Nina Fantasy

Eau de toilette

£36.50

This limited edition fragrance is inspired by spring and fairytale dreams. Like the other Nina fragrances it is sweet and girly, with bergamot, mandarin and pear, blended with cherry blossom and roses. Notes of brown sugar give it a rich sweetness. This romantic fragrance is perfect for the young and young at heart, and the sweet white bottle with apple and butterfly print looks adorable. At just £36.50 for 50ml it is very reasonable and great quality for the price.

Marc Jacobs Oh, Lola!

Eau de parfum

£47.50-£63

Oh, Lola! is a vibrant, fruity floral scent, making it playful yet sophisticated. A flirtier version of the original Lola fragrance, Oh, Lola! is a tantalising blend of raspberry, pear, peony and vanilla, creating a feminine sensual scent which is perfect for spring.

In a similar flower-topped bottle to the original Lola, Oh, Lola! features a fresh, translucent pink palette, which is enough to brighten up anyone's dressing table. 

Perfect for any age, the eau de parfum means the scent lingers on the skin, and once the fruity top notes have worn off it leaves a sensual warm base of vanilla and sandalwood.

Review: Lush Hair Treatment

So it's starting to feel a bit more like Spring, the weather's getting warmer, the beer gardens are beckoning and if you're anything like me you'll be thinking about updating your look in plenty of time for Summer!

I know I'm not the only one who tends to take their hair lighter as it gets closer to Summer, at the moment I have reddish highlights and a slightly dip-dyed ends and I'm thinking about going lighter next week.

This combined with curling, straightening, backcombing and generally abusing my hair means it needs a bit of TLC, so I've invested in a hair treatment from Lush.

After a consultation with a really helpful shop assistant, I went for the H'Suan Wen Hua hair treatment (don't even ask me how it's pronounced, I tend to go for the mumble and point approach). 

H'Suan Wen Hua is apparently the God of Hair, so naturally the treatment promises to give you heavenly hair. 

It is packed full of fresh, natural ingredients such as bananas, avocado, free range eggs and olive oil, which provide protein to feed the hair follicles and help replenish damaged hair.

I was a bit concerned that containing so many fresh ingredients, the treatment may have a very short shelf life, but it actually lasts 3 months, and at £8.50 for 225g it's really good value.

The treatment is easy to use, you just apply it to dry hair working it in like you would a conditioner. I just applied it to the lengths and ends of my hair, tied it up in a bun for half an hour then washed my hair as normal. The first time I used the treatment I didn't notice a massive difference, but the second time I actually left the treatment on overnight. It dries on your hair so won't make a mess on the pillow, and I found that leaving it on overnight allowed it to penetrate the hair much better, so after just two uses the bleached ends of my hair are now as soft as normal hair.

I have thick hair, but the treatment is also particularly good for anyone with fine or flat hair, because the protein from the eggs plumps up hair follicles, adding volume to give hair a boost.

So if you fancy treating your tresses to a little pick me up, why not add a hair treatment to your routine.

15% off MAC makeup!

Calling all MAC fans! Until Sunday 18th March you can get 15% off your favourite MAC products online.

Visit Cheapsmells online and choose from 12 best-selling products, including lipsticks, eyeshadow, Sheertone blush and Studio Fix powder foundation.
http://www.cheapsmells.com/mac-is-back?ref=awin&cm_mmc=affiliateWindow-_-affiliates-_-43305-_-textlink
What's even better is the items on the page are already £2-£8 cheaper than on the MAC website, so adding the 15% discount on top gives you a brilliant deal.
To give you an idea of the price of some of the items, check out the following:

Eyeshadows
RRP-£11.50
Cheapsmells price-£9.45
Price after discount-£8.04

Sheertone Blush
RRP-£17.00
Cheapsmells price-£13.45
Price after discount-£11.43

Lipstick
RRP-£13.50
Cheapsmells price-£10.75
Price after discount-£9.14

To get the deal just enter the discount code MAC15 at the checkout. You won't even have to pay for delivery as standard delivery is free (takes 4-6 working days).

Why not treat your mum for Mother's Day, or just treat yourself!

(If you're buying for Mother's Day, you'll have to pay a bit more for faster delivery as standard delivery won't arrive in time for Sunday.)

OPI Nicki Minaj Collection

OPI are famous for their bang-on-trend collections and designer collaborations, and their latest certainly doesn't disappoint. Combining the outrageous style of R&B icon Nicki Minaj, with OPI's signature quality, the new collection is absolutely stunning.

Left to right: Pink Friday, Did It On Em, Fly, Metallic 4 Life, Save Me, Super Bass Shatter

Spoilt for choice with crackle effect, glitter polishes and neon brights, there is a statement colour for everyone. The nail polishes look like they're from a candy box, from the bubblegum hue of Pink Friday, to the acid green Did It On Em, even the names are fabulous. There's also a striking turquoise blue Fly, black glitter Metallic 4 Life, silver glitter Save Me, and purple crackle effect Super Bass Shatter.
The colours make a statement worn alone. but would also look amazing together. I would go for Fly under the Super Bass Shatter. Or acid green Did It On Em with a black glitter Metallic 4 Life used on the tips like a neon glitter take on the traditional french manicure.

I tried Pink Friday, and I have to say I LOVE it. The bright Barbie pink shade is just the right amount of tacky yet fabulous.

Excuse the bright orange oompa loompa hand, I'm midway through a fake tan-athon

If you can't decide which colour to go for, OPI have created a mini collection, including 4 of the shades for £12.95 so you can experiment. 

Hope you enjoyed this post. Comment below if there is anything you would like me to review or if you have any beauty dilemmas, or tweet me @AlexKallai xxx

Review: Origins Facial

Hi everyone, hope you've had a nice relaxing weekend.
I had a day off on Friday so thought I would treat myself to a nice relaxing facial. I decided to try Origins in John Lewis, having been recommended their products by a few of my friends.

The facials last for 30 minutes and have a £15 booking fee, which is redeemable against any purchase, so if you're buying products you basically get a free facial.

The consultant took me into a beauty room which was just like any beauty room in a beauty salon, I pretty much forgot straight away that I was in a department store.

First of all I filled out a questionnaire about what kind of skin I have and what kind of regime I'm doing at the moment. Then I had a chat with the consultant who told me my skin isn't anywhere near as bad as I thought which was nice to hear!

Then I got comfy and settled down for my facial, which I have to say was amazing, it was so relaxing and the products felt so nice on my skin and smelt gorgeous too. The consultant used a wide range of products; cleanser, toner, scrub, mask, serum, eye treatment and moisturiser.

When the facial was over the consultant talked me through the products and helped me choose the ones that would make the most difference to my skin, although I'd have loved to take them all.

I went for the Modern Friction scrub (£30 for 125ml) which will last me a whole year so actually works out really cheap compared to less expensive brands.

I also got Well Off makeup remover (£16 for 150ml) because I tend to wear quite a lot of mascara and it removes it really easily without loads of rubbing and it also feels really soothing and gentle and doesn't sting the eye area.

Finally I got the Balanced Diet moisturiser (£22 for 50ml) which feels lightweight on my skin, and as my skin is quite oily I need a moisturiser that doesn't feel heavy or clog my pores.

Afterwards my skin was absolutely glowing, I didn't even feel awkward wandering out through the shop totally barefaced and when I saw my friends after they couldn't believe how clear and bright my skin looked.

The consultant also gave me a personalised recommendation card where she marked all the products that would be suitable for my skin. They are grouped together into product types so it's really easy to see what you need. Origins also keep your information on file so you can go into any store that sells their products and they will immediately know what you've bought so can totally tailor their service to you which I thought was really personal and brilliant customer service.

I must say I was a bit hesitant about getting a facial in a department store, then trotting out through the shop without a scrap of makeup on, but the experience was so relaxing, the consultant listened to my concerns and what I wanted to achieve and the products she selected were brilliant and really effective. I would definitely recommend an Origins facial to anyone needing a bit of help with their skincare routine, or just wanting to treat themselves to a relaxing half hour!

xxx