Black XS by Paco Rabanne

 

 Since my last perfume related post, my scent collection has not stopped growing. I am obessed as ever with scents and keep up to date with new perfumes.

Black XS by Paco Rabanne was a perfume I got last year in December and I totally forgot to blog about this but still had the saved pictures, so I thought why not blog about it now? 

Black XS at first seemed like a very mature version of Britney Spears' original Fantasy perfume. Actually they are not similar in many ways but both have a very distinctive sweetness to them which linked the two for me.

Black XS is a sweet potion but for those of you who might not be too fond of overly sweet scents, this might be a good perfume because the sweetness is almost masked by musk and liquorice? I can't quite tell what the heavy scents are. The amazing thing is that they mask the sweet scent so gently so as to achieve a wonderful balance. And because of this it is mysterious, as portrayed by its bottle's design.

Definitely an evening wear to me. And I wouldn't wear this in hot weather as it might be overpowering.

It lasts a fair amount of time, 3-4 hours until a re-application is needed. To me that is one of the disadvantages. But then again, this is an Eau de Toilette. Sadly, they don't do Eau de Parfums.

Ramadhan on its way

Ramadhan is coming up in the next week or so and it will be one of the longest fasts for many of us. It will be easier on some of us and harder on others. It is an obligation for those who are able to fast to do so.

I always find the first week of fasting the most difficult. It is the period when your body adjusts to the sudden nil consumption of food and drink and the last hour to sunset seems to stretch on for hours on end. Physically and mentally, it is draining, it is exhausting; some of us cope better than others but at the end of our experiences, we all feel the same things - hunger, thirst and exhaustion. And through these come reminders. Reminders to tell us how thankful we should be and how much more thankful we should aim to be.

I’m not speaking for all in this article but I assume that the majority reading this have access to the internet and are fortunate enough to have a modern average lifestyle. We should be thankful because we are obligated to fast for only a month. Imagine those who have no choice and have to go without or lack of food or water for months or even years and because of this it's uncertain if there is a tomorrow.

At the end of the day most of us can look forward to a wholesome dinner. If I wanted a chicken kebab, I can buy it. If I wanted risotto, I can buy that too. Name anything else and I can most likely get my hands on it. If I wanted home cooked, then I can look up any recipe online and I’m sure that I can obtain ALL the ingredients to make the dish. I highlight ‘ALL’ because........ isn’t it amazing?!

We live in a world where our wish is our command. Whereas the less fortunate will be happy to obtain any food in any form, as long as it is edible it’s good enough. We can have a 3 course meal if we wanted, choose your location, at home or the restaurant perhaps?

This is why we have to abstain from greed. Stuffing ourselves after fasting is all too tempting because we’ve been anticipating food all day long. There are some who wake up and have an early breakfast, only with the aim of eating as much food as possible to get ready for the next day. Of course, needless to say, this is not the way. Ramadhan teaches us all to have self control. Patience. It truly is a virtue.

This month also emphasizes the importance of Zakat. What a difference we could make by donating our lunch money to those in need on top of the charity we should already be giving.

We also learn once again how to remain even more humble and compassionate towards others who have less. This is how we can narrow the gap between the less and more fortunate of us, between the richer and the poorer. Everyone of us needs a helping hand at some stage in our lives.

So the next time you have something to eat, remember to say 'Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Raheem' and once finished 'Alhamdulilah'.

Travelling back in time, let's rewind a year from now

Almost a year ago, I got the Canon and I took a lot of pictures to test it out. One of the days was a perfect sunny day.
A year on and the weather isn't sunny, it isn't warm. It's raining instead. But tomorrow is another sunny day at long last. The sunshine won't last for this week so I will be making the most of it tomorrow.
It's these little moments we should cherish so that when we look back, we can smile at them and be thankful about another thing out of the many many other things we're blessed with.

 I haven't posted these pictures from last year. They were still sitting in its folder. After stumbling upon them today, these memories raised a smile and when I found out that these were taken almost a year ago, I was stunned. I remember the day as if it was yesterday.

DKNY Sweet Delicious Pink Macaron (Limited Edition)

DKNY Sweet Delicious Pink Macaron is a yummlicious, engulfing, innocent and girly scent. Its baby pink coloured bottle reflects the scent very well and my first impressions from it made me imagine this as a wonderfully blended balanced sweet macaron scent. I was fascinated because it ticked all my assumptions and caught me off guard. I didn't expect this to be delicate.  DKNY has 3 limited edition perfumes, each on different desserts. The one I got here is based on a pink macaron, which I have yet to try.

The top notes remind me of the outer shell of a macaron. First impressions count. It's captivating, it's sweet but not overpowering.
The middle notes remind me of the macaron's filling. You know that sweet layer in between the two outer shells? It explodes with sweeter, slightly more delicate scents, as if unravelling different types of flavours.
And the last notes leave a lasting impression. If this was a macaron, let's just say I would be craving to taste it again just to go through this rollercoaster of flavourful scents.

 

My Twinings Tea Box & Bvlgari's Jasmin Noir

Was it really a month ago since I last posted? Just about... and I can't believe it. Every couple of days I tell myself today I am going to post something! But then something comes up and my schedule is filled. Who would have thought life after university would be just as busy? 


I apologise in advance if my posts are not as detailed and not as 'great' as my other posts. I used to spend more time with my posts but nowadays I am far too busy, so as I said in my posts earlier, I will let the pictures do more of the talking. I'll rate, I'll recommend and I'll show you my latest finds. I hope you'll enjoy them ^.^


So two things I discovered a few months ago. 
Firstly, this Twinings tea box. Goodness, is it not so cute? They had other sizes too, the largest one I believe is covered in velvet. It is exquisite. I got the smallest size because I have no room to store a huge tea box and I love its petite-ness. Now everytime I'm at a tea place, I get a couple of tea bags so that I can put them in this tea box. 

Think of a jewellery box for tea.... !

And then I found these Bvlgari fragrances a couple of months back, or let's just say they found me. From the first time I sprayed it on, I told myself... One day I am going to have that and I am going to start saving for it from now because they are so so amazing. And so I ended up getting it.
I LOVE Jasmine scents. They are so beautiful, so mysterious and mature. When the shop assistant told me that Bvlgari made this to resemble Jasmin Noir (Black Jasmine) because there are no Black Jasmin flowers.... I suddenly realised what a perfect fragrance this was and what a creation this is from Bvlgari...! Because the name of the perfume describes the scent so well. This is a Jasmine perfume with a twist. I have smelt so many Jasmine scents but none resembles these two perfumes. They really are fragrances made from a jeweller. It's so rich, so elegant and this is now my favourite evening scent.

Molton Brown's Yuan Zhi

This is my first Molton Brown product. I don't know why I never ventured into a Molton Brown store before. Perhaps it is because I find their products out of my price range or perhaps it is because I usually find their shops lonely (which is not a surprise because their items are pretty costly!).
But with expensive prices come luxury and quality. You can expect to obtain excellent quality here with what you pay for, which is always satisfying.

I got this Yuan Zhi candle as a gift and was very excited because...firstly...I love candles! I rarely let a night pass by without lighting one. And secondly, I am obsessed with scents. So this candle ticked all the right boxes for me. Let me tell you - I was impressed!

The scent is immaculate. I've smelt loads of candles before but none quite like this one. It is very soothing, reminding me of lavender, cardamoms, spice, cream, vanilla....

It is a very unique scent. I haven't even smelt a perfume resembling it!

Plus with 70-80 hours of burning time, I can justify the price tag for this...

I became more and more intruged with this scent, so I did a little research on Molton Brown's website. And I found out that they have other ranges of the Yuan Zhi scent. Can you imagine my excitement?!!
I couldn't contain myself and had to get something else from the range. I chose the Yuan Zhi room fragrance because it is the most concentrated form of the scent that I could obtain. I sprayed my room so many times now on numerous occasions and it is wonderful....simply wonderful!

And at £22 for 100ml, I think it is reasonably priced.

' My room is no longer complete without the Yuan Zhi scent lurking in the air... ,

I was given a free sample of Heavenly Gingerly Bath & Shower gel. This is a real treat! I was impressed with how long the scent stays on.