Fragrance Direct Beauty Haul

I often shop with Fragrance Direct when I'm looking to get great discounts. Even when I can find a voucher code for other online retailers, there are always products available on Fragrance Direct that I just can't find at a better price anywhere else. If you're not familiar with this online store then I'd definitely recommend checking it out - it's a site I've been using for years, with only positive experiences. So, naturally, when Fragrance Direct got in touch with me I jumped at the opportunity to pick out some products from their huge beauty catalogue. 

My New Autumn/Winter Polish Picks

Rachel Vosper Candle Making Course with Fragrance Direct

Haul: Luxury Nail Polishes at Discount Prices

So, I know what I said in my last Fragrance Direct Haul but with our brief glimpse of sunshine here in the UK I just got a hankering for some new summer nail polishes. I spotted some gorgeous Essie shades on Fragrance Direct, as well as some Orly Polishes - a brand I've wanted to try for a really long time. I also went on a bit of a mission to find a specific China Glaze Nail Polish that just screams summer, and I found it at a really good price.

China Glaze Nail Lacquer in Are You Jelly?

This is the nail polish that sort of set everything off. I can't remember exactly where I first saw it but I do remember that I instantly wanted it, mainly because of its name. I ordered it from Nail Polish Direct (for the discounted price of £3.95) and expected that the shade would be purple - based on their colour guide and online swatches. However, the nail polish I recieved is a really bright - almost neon - fuchsia pink. It definitely leans slightly more purple in the bottle than when applied to your nails, so I'm not sure if I've recieved a mis-labelled bottle (as it does look a lot like the shade You Drive Me Coconuts). Regardless, I think it's a lovely colour and it's actually my first China Glaze nail polish so I'm excited to properly test it out and see if I should invest in some other shades.

Orly Nail Lacquers (left to right): Pink Chocolate, Terra Mauve and Clear

I always spot Orly polishes on one of my favourite blogs - Rotten Otter - so when I spied them on Fragrance Direct for the low price of £1.99 (reduced from £10.95) I just couldn't help myself. I picked up three polishes, two pinks that I thought would be easy to wear throughout the spring and summer as well as a clear polish. Despite always having a pedicure, I usually don't wear coloured polish on my hands - it's just one of my quirks - but I do love a clear glossy polish. I thought it would be nice to pick up one from Orly as I know I'll get a tremendous amount of use from it. I haven't properly tested these out yet but my first impressions of them are really swayed by their incredible packaging. The rubber handle makes the bottles so easy to open - so if this is something you often struggle with then I'd highly recommend them.

 Essie Nail Polishes (left to right): Geranium,  Merino Cool, Take it Outside and Summit of Style

Are these not some of the most chic shades you've ever seen? Fragrance Direct always stock a fantastic range of Essie shades but these four were my absolute favourites out of the shades available on their website. Geranium is a gorgeous orange toned red, Merino Cool is a beautiful dark purple-toned-grey, Take it Outside is a much cooler lighter shade and Summit of Style is the most beautiful gold glitter top coat that would look gorgeous over any of these polishes. I'm particulalry happy with these four shades, and at £2.49 each they were also a bit of a bargain!

Do you have any of these nail polish shades already? Which is your favourite shade out of the ones that I bought?

Have you entered my big beauty giveaway? Win a new lipstick for everyday of the week

Fragrance Direct Beauty Haul

Once upon a time Fragrance Direct was a place where I only really went to bulk buy discounted Essie nail polishes. Although Essie polishes are still available online for just £2.49, Fragrance Direct has really grown and changed as a beauty shopping destination since I first started shopping there - and it's now about so much more than nail polish.

This revelation happened quite recently when Fragrance Direct got in touch with me and asked if I'd like to pick a couple of products from their website to try out. I went onto the site and started seriously browsing and what I realised was that Fragrance Direct now stock some pretty heavy hitters in the beauty world, everything from Mac Lipsticks to Kerastase (one of my favourite haircare brands). Although everything on the website still comes at a discounted price - because discounted prices are still Fragrance Direct's forté - you can now find everything from your affordable nail polishes and high street branded makeup to the much coveted high-end beauty brands. 

I decided to take advantage of Fragrance Direct's kind offer in order to try out a couple of products from Bobbi Brown - a brand I haven't tried before, and which Fragrance Direct stock at a discounted price of approximately 10-15%. It might not seem like a lot but it's a couple of pounds of saving that you can spend picking up a new Opi or Orly Nail Polish.

Bobbi Brown Lip Color in Pink Brownie

available from Fragrance Direct for £17.00*

I'd describe Bobbi Brown's Pink Brownie as a dark, brown-toned pink. It's definitely got a bit of a dark and mature vibe compared to the paler, pink nudes that I usually opt for, but it's actually surprisingly easy to wear. I love how this lipstick looks with very, very minimal eyemakeup and a sheer foundation. When I wear it like this my lips become the main focus of my makeup despite still looking very natural - it's a great, sophisticated lipstick option for anyone who's a bit nervous about wearing bright lip colours. The lipstick applies really easily because it has quite a creamy formula and the slightly exaggerated curve at the top of the lipstick bullet fits my lips really well. On the lips it has a cross between a creamsheen and a satin finish (creamy and slightly glossy but that feels just slightly matte). I think it's a wonderful formula and I love, love, love the packaging! It's a very classic bullet design that really reminds me of Chanel's packaging, it's a lovely one to whip out of your handbag for touch ups. Overall, I think that the quality of the product and packging definitely justifies the price - especially if you can find a colour that you really like, and Fragrance Direct stock quite a few very wearable shades.

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge for Cheeks and Lips in Powder Pink (06) 

available online from Fragrance Direct for £17.50*

Bobbi Brown's Pot Rouge in Powder Pink doesn't look that pink in the pan, but when it's swatched on the back of my hand you can see that it sheers out into a gorgeous sheen-y pink. It's quite easy to apply to your cheeks - I just use my fingers, tapping the colour onto my skin gently - and because of the sheer formula it's easy to build up a colour that you're happy with. The formula of the product is definitely creamy but it's quite thin and light - very different from the Stila Convertible Colours and Illamasqua Cream Blushes that I regualarly reach for. It doesn't dry down to a powder finish which makes it very nice to use on the lips as well as the cheeks, and on the lips it looks like a pale brown-toned pink. Unlike most of my other cream dual purpose products, I think Bobbi Brown's Pot Rouge has a very well considered formula that does actually work on both the cheeks and the lips. However, because it works so well on the lips, I do find that it benefits from a dusting of powder when used as a cream blush as this infinitely aids the blush's staying power. I love the shade, the formula and the functionality (it's a fantastic product for travelling with - two products in one plus a nicely sized mirror) so I'd definitely repurchase it and I'll certinaly be looking into getting another shade! You can see what "Powder Pink" looks like on my cheeks in the photo below.

Bobbi Brown's Pot Rouge is my favourite out of the pair of products that I chose, but both are really high quality makeup items that I'm very happy to have in my makeup collection. Fragrance Direct is a great place to shop for all sorts of makeup and I've already been back on the website sussing out if there are any other bits and bobs I should pick up for myself for spring and summer makeup looks. 

Have you tried any Bobbi Brown makeup before? 

And do you ever shop on Fragrance Direct?