My Top 5 Fragrances of all Time

I love life and I love the indulgent luxury that comes with it. By that I mean I love the good things of life and because  I work exceptionally hard I think it's fair that I treat myself to the occasional splurge on indulgent items.

I love fashion and all of the added extras that come with it but most people who know me will tell you that if I had to choose between buying a new pair of shoes or a bottle of perfume, I would definitely go for the latter. I have always been a fragrance lover since as far back as I can remember but what's so ironic is the fact that my olfactory nerve is not quite great! 

 I would more often than not be the last person in the room to pick on smells. There are of course good and not so good sides to that but never mind, what I lack in that area I make up for with my super sharp sense of hearing.However, that doesn't deter me from making my house a smell sanctuary, You are surely bound to get engulfed in a potpourri of lovely fragrances in every area of my home you turn to and you might have to do a double take if you walk past me on days when I decide to bask in my favorite smells.

I present to you my top five favourite fragrances of all time, never mind the season.

BLACK ORCHID by TOM FORD: I recall the first time I bought this perfume, it was on one of those days when I absolutely felt low in spirits and indulged myself in a bit of retail therapy to make me feel better. Call it a spontaneous purchase but I have not looked back since then. How do I describe this fragrance? Think rich,exotic and absolutely sophisticated. A perfect balance of sweet,floral and woody. It lingers but not in an overpowering way,I love how it envelopes me its almost like I am being hugged by Tom Ford! haha. Some people tend to think that this perfume is more suited to the autumn or winter months and I agree but I think you might be able to get away with it anytime of the year; day or night  if you spray it minimally because a little goes a long way. Its a unisex perfume but with a very distinct difference.

AVENTUS FOR HER by CREED : A quick spray of my DH's Creed (for men) is all it took me to get addicted to this perfume and I knew I had to get the female version for myself. On days when I want to step out feeling like a BOSS bursting with Confidence, this is my go to perfume. If you are someone who doesn't want to put herself out there then this might not be for you because this perfume is bound to command some extra attention. Its refreshingly empowering and you'd find the question of ''what perfume do you have on?'' rolling in non stop because this perfume is irresistible like that. A lot of people tend to think there is a lot of hype around this perfume but hey, when something is exceptionally good you have got to rave about it! This is not a perfume that lingers overnight and fades away,its crisp smell lingers much longer. Its simply gorgeous. 

GREEN IRISH TWEED by CREED :  Oh dear! Do I love this scent or what?! I don't care what anyone thinks but this perfume I love so much.  When I went shopping for my Aventus at my local John Lewis, I got to try out a couple of fragrances even though I knew what I was looking for. The lady attending to me encouraged me to try Green Irish Tweed and she casually mentioned '' you know there's quite of celebs who use this perfume as well.... Prince William, Naomi Campbell  ( never mind I once bought a concealer at boots after the shop assistant swore Naomi Campbell couldn't do without it but I sadly had to chuck it in the bin because I absolutely hated it)  and a host of names I really can't remember now.
After the concealer experience of course, I sure learnt to follow my personal needs rather than follow celeb trends but this perfume was definitely high up there for me. It smelt so cool,fresh,exuberant and timeless and it reminded me of something but I struggled to place what it could be. It was definitely a happy memory and I loved it! It was no surprise I returned a little while after to purchase a small bottle as its quite a pricey perfume. Unlike my Aventus though, I only use it on special occasions as I don't think its suited for 24/7 use. I also ensure to have it on at least 40 minutes before stepping out of the house so that way am sure all of its 'complexities' have settled nicely. Most people say its more suited for men but not sure I agree, it smells great on me, earns me compliments every time I wear it so that settles it!.

J'ADORE by DIOR :  This perfume makes me swoon! Its beautiful, oh! so ultra feminine and very sensuous. After running out of my last bottle, I purchased another as a special Christmas gift for myself. Guess what?! I am yet to open it just yet because I just cannot bring myself to ruin the euphoria of knowing I have an unopened bottled of J'adore. It just ticks all the right boxes for me and it never fails to uplift my spirits. I love how I can never get over J'adore, its my little perfection in a bottle.

FAR AWAY by AVON:  Yes. You read that right and its nothing to do with downgrading or being broke and unable to feed my ''high- end'' luxury perfume addiction. Its just that there are times when I feel like getting lost in the crowd, not drawing any attention to myself  or I just can't be bother to pull out all the stops whilst dressing up. This is my all time favourite classic. I have never run out of a bottle and don't think I ever will!  If you are a fragrance lover and you have never tried any of the avon fragrances especially 'Far Away' then I encourage you to give it a try. Even if it means trying it out as a bed-time fragrance. You can thank me later. Its an unbelivable stark contrast to its price and you have to wonder how something that smells so good can come at such a pocket friendly price. You definitely got me on this one Avon.

A lot of people tend to ask me to critic perfumes and fragrances knowing how much I love them and I always say my love for perfumes and fragrances has ironically not evolved to that status just yet. I just want to bask in those gorgeous smells without having to bother my head talking about sillage, opening notes, base notes and all that malarkey. I'd let the critics do all the smell, sillage and longevity analysis.

If its smells good, makes me feel great, doesn't cause wreckage to my pocket then all is indeed good with the world!

I am open to trying new fragrances so feel free to share your favs with me.

Catch up soon!

Pause and Reflect : Blogging Reality Check+What I have learnt so Far

Image Source: Pexels

P.S This is not a blogversary post :)

I can't believe its been just a bit over three years since I started this blog. At the time, I was on maternity leave having recently had a baby and I recall my sister who blogs here had encouraged me to start a blog as I couldn't stop moaning about how much I lacked ideas on what to do besides caring for the baby.

Although I work in an IT related industry, I still had to run  to my sister for virtually everything in terms of getting the blog up and running. Once my blog was all set up it meant I had to find my footing in the blogging world or as in the bloggers lingo ''find my niche''.

In the early days, I wanted to be a mummy blogger who reviews stuff and by that I mean I wanted to basically talk about products, stuffs and services on my blog, form an opinion about them and draw a conclusion which I think might help readers make an informed decision if they ever felt the need to either make a similar or guided purchase etc. So sometimes , I would write about personal purchases and at other times as I learnt the ropes really quickly I would ply the ''Blogger request'' route.

Most times when I did the latter though, I did feel like a fish out of water as I am quite a shy and introverted person and did not feel like I stood the chance against other well grounded bloggers with an already established blog presence in terms of audience,content and influence. So I gave up that route and stuck to talking about personal purchases and the occasional review opportunities that came in via direct contact with companies and agencies. 

As time progressed I started losing interest in blogging, I gradually slowed down and before I realized it I had completely stopped blogging!  It took me well close to a year to return to blogging and I promised myself I would only go with the flow, no stress,no pressure and definitely no desire to limit myself to just a specific area of interest anymore.

Image source:Pexels

In Hindsight, if I had to start it all afresh i.e newbie blogger , here's what I would have loved to tell myself :

-  Follow your heart and do what makes you happy: Its definitely the first thing I would have said to myself. As I mentioned earlier, I started blogging majorly to help me balance things out on the home front, i.e new baby, family, etc. Deep down within me I wanted some sort of creative outlet, somewhere I could put my thoughts to words,somewhere I could explore and just generally talk about things that interested me, just an extension of me really. However, before I realized it, I had veered off my original path and was doing something totally different and inadvertently carving a ''niche'' for myself without realizing it! 

I am not saying its not okay to have a niche because there is nothing wrong in having one  and it does have its own benefits but I did not feel it was for me.  I would describe myself as a mix of rebellious and unconventional so boxing myself into a corner by focusing on a specific area left me feeling bored and I lost interest in no time hence the long break. 

So, for the past couple of months since I returned to blogging, I have blogged solely about my interests. It doesn't feel so contrived anymore and I appreciate the freedom of being able to express myself . its been out with the ''niche'' and in with the ''interests'' and if I had to , I would describe myself as a blogger of many interests and my blog as a general content blog with something for everyone.

- Give it Time: Everything good requires time...and effort. In my early days of blogging, I wanted everything to happen quickly. I mean from engagement, traffic, social media following, monetization etc. Outside of blogging,I am not quite a ''waiting person'' but I soon realized that my impatience was something I had to actively work on. 

Right now I am in a place where I realise that all of the things that I wanted for my blog requires not just fulfilling the''effort and working at it'' side of things but it also requires copious levels of patience because with blogging there is no magic recipe for success, Time and patience is all you need so K.E.E.P C.A.L.M  and  B.L.O.G  O.N 

Image Source: Google

- Don't Compare and Contrast because you are not in competition with anyone:  ...except yourself.  That's right!  This is something I have always told myself even prior to blogging. I am not a competitive person so I take everything in my own stride. I do not seek to outdo anyone other than myself  because I realise the only competition I need is within me.  When it comes to blogging , it is exactly what it is, blogging and nothing more! 

There have been times when I have visited other blogs for a bit of idea and inspiration but that's about it. I always say a little bit of healthy competition is okay if it works for you and from a blogging perspective that will be in terms of motivating and inspiring you to put up better posts than the last one you have written. But if you find that you begin to put so much pressure on yourself to be better than the next blogger then you need to pause and reflect before you lose your identity.   

Above anything else, blog for your self and for what you believe in; Stop comparing...start blogging!

Engage- Interact- Repeat: I honestly wish I knew this earlier ! Looking back now, the saying that no man is an island was so apt to my situation back then. What was I thinking, hoping that people would keep stumbling on my blog and helping themselves to my blog posts? Ha!   

Now I do appreciate the importance putting my blog out there and I never hesitate to utilize the various social media platform available for such opportunities. Sometimes I chide myself for not engaging more and I often put it down to my introverted nature but of course I do not see the need to put so much pressure on myself than necessary, so I take things easy and go with my flow.

Networking, engaging with readers, i.e responding and appreciating comments, engaging with other blogs and just keeping these actions locked on constant repeat does go a long way not just for blog growth but think self confidence and morale booster too.

Interact-Engage-Repeat
Image source: Google

Never give up! : You really should be proud of yourself and what you have achieved on your blog because not everyone has a flair for writing. Not everyone is interested in putting their thoughts to words or sharing their opinion in the manner in which you put yours out there so well done!   

I remember when I struggled with content continuity and the niche I found myself in, back then, I experienced more ''bloggers block'' ( yeah, bloggers struggle with what to write as well, its not exclusive to writers alone) even though I had so much time on my hands. I just simply lacked ideas, whereas these days I struggle more with finding the time to put up content for the many ideas I have - such irony of life! 

Don't forget I said it takes time, so if you find yourself fizzling out, its ok to take a break but keep it in mind never to give up.  Run out of ideas? Take a good look around you, the internet, friends, family, work etc. There is definitely something that is bound to catch your attention which you can capture ideas from. Revamp your blog, redesign your blog, re-brand your blog, something is surely bound to get you back on track but it all boils down to you not giving up! so never forget that.

...So don't give up!
Image Source: Google

...And on a final note
Doing things the same way as others will mean losing your individuality. Like everything else, blogging requires a bit of individual approach and  personal touch so if you choose to be a niche blogger or a multi interest blogger like me, ensure you do not lose your personality because that is the uniqueness that makes you stand out.

You might find that some of the things I have talked about resonates with your blogging journey or it doesn't at all, the bottomline is - Just do you!

You have probably realized by now that there might come a time when you will be pretty much faced with making decisions, taking next steps or  probably just starting afresh but definitely not quitting.

Take some time out, reflect and ask yourself the question '' what would I do differently?''

Catch up soon! x

Review: HP ENVY 4527 ALL-IN-ONE PRINTER

It's been a while since we had any reviews here and I have to admit the fault is all mine! I have just been too busy with other personal things and as such barely had the time to look up new campaigns etc. However, things are easing up a bit and I do look forward to sharing my ideas and honest opinions on a broad spectrum of EVERYTHING, so watch this space!

Straight to business shall we? Good! Its all about the HP Envy 4527 All-in-one printer. To start with, I would refer to myself as a tech savvy person but perhaps if you ask my husband and kids am probably thinking they would refer to me as the perfect gadget junkie, or how else do you explain all the cables,chargers etc in my living room which extends to the bedroom and every other room that has a socket in the house? *sigh!*
Plus my inability to part with old stuff means there is a constantly rising stack of gadgets. I am still struggling with the idea of having a car boot sale or just holding on to these items,who knows what might become treasure tomorrow? *Think collectors item!*

 Coming from me this might sound like a surprise but  I have got to say there are some gadgets I have had to constantly question my need for but others I knew from the get go would be an absolute value and one of such is the HP Envy 4527 All-in-one printer.

About the HP Envy 4527 All-in-one Printer
Just like the name implies, it a printer for all times and seasons and by that I mean this printer is not just limited to printing,copying or scanning documents but it easily prints pictures too. It is a wireless  and easy to use touch screen printer,capable of easily connecting to WiFi and affords you the opportunity to easily print high quality photos directly from your smart phones or tablets.

My experience with the HP Envy 4527 All-in-one Printer
TO start with I have to say this is one of the easiest gadgets I have had to set up,I did not have to refer to the manual for once.  Once plugged, it was simply ''touch and go'', via the on screen display feature it provided  set up instructions including a step by step guide on how to load the ink cartridges .
The printer is quite aesthetic and makes a nice and decent addition to my home.

Its such a versatile little gadget that didn't let me down when I put it to varied work and leisure tasks  i.e printed,scanned some documents and also printed some coloured pictures.

 I particularly love the fact that the printer is so compact and takes up very minimal space. If I had to compare it to my previous printer in terms of design, functionality and feature , I would give the HP ENVY 4527 All-in-one printer consistently top marks,it definitely ticks most boxes for me.

I also love the fact that it is surprising quiet, I mean with my previous printer, it almost seemed like there was the 'hesitation' of whether to print or not with the constant clicking sound! Its not so with the HP Envy 4527 printer, it prints at the flick of a button, it just prints...no hesitant clicking sounds!

Apart from the fact that that it is a wireless printer, when it came to printing pictures from my phone, I realised I didn't necessarily have to connect to my wifi or any networks to do so. Once linked to phone I simply followed the on screen instructions and in no time the printer was churning out my pictures...just like that high res photos printed right in the comfort of my home .

 I have to also say that the quality of my pictures were just as great as those of the ones I had printed from the photolab in the past. I also had some random documents printed off my email as well with no hassles at all either.

There are still some other features I am yet to try and this includes printing black and white pictures, which the printer is very well capable of doing, automatic two sided printing which I absolutely cannot wait to try and of course the remote printing. I really look forward to being able to send stuff straight to the printer from anywhere, whilst on the go via the printer remote mobile app.

My Verdict
HP ENVY 4527 currently retails at  £44.99 and I have to say for that price the printer is an absolute bargain. With its set up so easy and straightforward , it is surprisingly packed with such powerful and versatile features and capable of meeting your various printing needs.
If you are someone who does a lot of remote working or working from home, you would  probably find this ideal for your day to day routine and I find it functional enough to suit the needs of a very small office too.
The printer definitely works a treat and cannot fault it. I would give it 🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars.


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Please note views and opinion expressed are solely mine.

HP ENVY 4527 All-in-one printer from theinsiderseu #hpprinters campaign