The Handbag Lover

For those that really know me you know that Imelda had nothing on me when it comes to gorgeous things,but the big problem is how to store them?,One of  my biggest things apart from make up, perfume and clothes is handbags,yeah!! you got it I am a girly girl and love all things gorgeous. Well I have found the perfect solution to some of my storage problems and that is these great bags which are perfect for hand bags (that do not come with a dust bag) laundry and all sorts of stuff,they are neutral in colour ,so will match any accessory,so make the perfect storage solution and they can be personalised  too!!.They can be purchased at Neverforget  and they can be purchased in numerous sizes and combinations from a very reasonable £1.45.Neverforget are an online retailer that specialise in personalised goods from baby bibs to workwear and for those that are stuck for a gift idea there are gift vouchers.

Just Love Your feet !!

 During the recent warmer weather we have been experiencing,I am sure if you are like myself you have put your sandals on and looked at your over wintered feet in despair,unpainted toe nails,hard skin you get the picture.

So for our latest competition we have something that will help with this because we have teamed up with our friends at the newly launched  Pedikur website to offer your feet a treat!.Pedikur.co.uk are UK destributers of Pedikur Hand and Foot lotions.These great products are designed to remove hard skin and calluses from feet and hands,the lotion is highly effective and contains no perfume or cosmetic boosters and is manufactured by a renowned German cosmetic manufacturer.The beauty of Pedikur lotion is that is removes hard skin with the minimal of effort ,no sharp tools and you can sit and chill for 20 mins while it works it magic.So no more trips to the chiropodist, scraping away with a ped egg or cut/sore  heels this wonder lotion puts and end to that.The Pedikur Lotion can also be used to remove cuticles.

To complete the transformation there is the gorgeous Pedikur Herbal Cream which contains Sage, Thyme & Rosemary and  is used after the lotion treatment to maintain your soft feet,the lotion is beautifully thick and creamy so a liitle goes a long way, it is mineral oil free and smells devine.  

If we have well groomed hands and feet  it helps increase our confidence and we feel good,if we don`t we can feel quite the opposite.

So to enter this great givaway to win 200ml Pedikur Hand and Foot Care Lotion & 75ml Pedikur Hand and Foot Cream just do 1 or all of the following

1.Like Pedikur on facebook

2.Follow the Beauty Chamber Blog

3.Follow Beauty Chamber on Twitter

4.Like beauty Chmber on Facebook

5.Follow Lilys Perfumery on twitter,

5.Like Lilys Perfumery on facebook

6.Follow Lilys Perfumery blog

You have a possible 6 entries and each follow or like counts as one,just post in the comments box what you are following or liking

Competition Closes 8pm Sunday 8th May The winner will be chosen by Random Org

A Scent of Summer 4711

When Wilhem Muelhens was given the formula to 4711  a legend was born,people from all walks of life male,female old and young wear this great cologne,it is uplifting,has medicinal properties and smells great.So...Why do people like it? Well it is the most inoffensive fragrance that you could ever own,it`s crisp citrus and not overpowering,you can share it with your partner (it`s unisex ) or keep it for yourself.

The story begins in Cologne and a wedding gift from a  Carthusan Monk to Wilhem Muelhens a young entrepeneur,Muelhens had a great belief in this formula and it`s medicinal properties and so the legend was born,Wagner was amongst it`s users.The name comes from the time when Colgne was under  French occupation and Glockengasse became number 4711 as all houses had to have a number!. Not even Napoleon with his great power could get the secret formula of the Kolnish Wasser (wonder water) Muelhens never promoted it as medicinal so it remained more than just a perfume and the secret remained.

The Molanus bottle  was created by Peter Heinrich Molanus and was shaped for ease of use and storage,

Today there is not just this wonderful cologne,you can buy tissues,body sprays and cologne sticks amongst other toiletries which all share the same wonderful aroma of the "Wonder Water".

Summer is Coming We Hope!

With summer we think of sunkissed looks and tanned bodies,but we also need to think of safe tanning this can be done with the help of self tanning lotions or spray or some clever make up,we currently have in stock some gorgeous bronzers and palettes that are perfect for that sunkissed look and for our competition we will be giving away an Elizabeth Arden Bronzing Beauty Kit  which is a fab little product that is small enough to pop in your handbag and yet contains some great bronzing essentials.

All you have to do to enter is

1.Follow us on twitter,

2.Like us on facebook

3.Follow our blog
4.Tell us about your favourite summer product

Our competition closes on Sunday March 26th at 8pm 

Perfume,Why we love it!!

We all have our favourite perfume,be it one we wear every day or save for special occasions,some smells can bring back happy memories or remind us times past.

My favourites are for summer are clean crisp florals or green chypres; the best being Yves Saint Laurent Y,a beautiful green chyre (pronounced shypreeh,don`t forget the french accent with this),in my opinion this is the best green chypre ever made and is such a comfortable and nice perfume to wear which has been likened to a beautiful silk blouse ( I think you get the idea).Another beautiful light fragrance is  Aqua Allegoria Tiare Mimosa a lovely fragrance from the master perfumers Guerlain which is a limited edition fragrance that is described as a floral jasmine.

Winter is a different story and with the colder weather we look for something that smells warm and comforting,for winter nights I always reach for YSLs Opium which people either love or hate,I have learn`t   to apply sparingly as less is definately best with this fragrance another winter warmer is Estee Lauder Sensuous which wears as more of a skinscentand alsmost has a sweet caramel smell to it.I do wear other fragrances but these are the ones I wear the most,I have an ever growing perfume collection as I always like to try something new and different.

Now less about me and back to the competition we are giving away a bottle of the gorgeous Pecksniffs Oriental Amber

To enter our competition all you have to do is either

1.Follow us on twitter,

2.Like us on facebook

3.Follow our blog

4. Tell us your favourite perfume.

 

Please leave a separate comment for each entry.

Closing date is Sunday 13th February 8pm

                                                                                             

Our Competition Winner

Congratulatons 

Our Girard Bali Sunrise competition winner  is 

diva1977 facebook user ID Claire BbdivaButler

Please contact us with your name and address via the contact us form on the website top claim your prize

Oh to be a domestic goddess!

Normally on my travels around the internet I am looking for something to make me look and feel gorgeous (well I can dream can`t I!!).But this Christmas I decided that I was going to have the proper utensils and equipment to hand when I started my Christmas culinary crusade,Yes grumpy old man did snigger and asked what delights he was going to be treated to this year!Please note I do not burn things,I am just not very organised in the kitchen,I find cooking dinners boring and something I need to do rather than want to do,I am one of these people who really should have a chef as a husband or partner.Anyway back to the my internet shopping trip,my first port of call was The Cutlery and Catering Website ,this is run by a husband and wife team who sell all things to do with cooking and entertaining,there are even tips looking after your cutlery,cookery and generally interesting things to do with cooking etc.My roasting tins have seen better days so I decided on a roasting tin and bake pan set ,which were a very reasonable £16.00 and arrived very quickly,they are excellent quality,non stick(so easy on the washing up),nice and heavy but not to heavy that you can`t handle them,they can withstand direct heat from the hob (gravy making) and not weaken or bow like some tins I have paid more money for,a lasagne was able to go straight into the freezer (after cooling down) and then from freezer (after defrosting) to oven.I now use them all the time  and they are among the most useful things I have purchased.       

                                                       

My second port of call was All Teatowels Website,I have always used teatowels as oven gloves,but decided that I  needed to buy a pair,now I am not keen on the gauntlet type,I like the traditional one hand in each end glove,I settled for a Kaleidescope Design Double Oven  Glove which is made by Ulster Weavers,the gloves when they arrived which was quickly  are excellent quality the hand pouches are deeper than normal and the gloves themselves nice and long,the design  neutral and very nice and they wash well too.All Teatowels have an excellent selection of products ranging from Flowers to humorous and if you want to feel flush when drying the dishes they even have a £20 note teatowel.There is some nice info on the site and if you are looking for a gift idea they have a teatowel club!

I have not received payment or any other rewards from these sites,they are sites that I have used to purchase things from and know that they give first rate service and sell excellent quality products.

Something Nice for January

Now I know summer seems a long way off (it will soon be here!Says the eternal optimist)So I thought for this competition I would offer something that puts us in mind of summer mornings and that is a a bottle of Girard Bali Sunrise 50ml EDT Spray.
Girard originally produced fragrances in the 1920s and Boots took a peek into their old archives and have ressurrected the brand,they have relaunched 2 of the original fragrances those being Bouquet d'Orient and Lysval although the formulas are different and added Bali Sunrise, New York Nights and Provence Spring which are travel themed fragrances centred around favourite destinations.Girard was a modern contemparary brand for it`s time and has won many fans this time round.
To enter our competition all you have to do is either

1.Follow us on twitter,

2.Like us on facebook

3.Follow our blog( I have made a New Years resolution to to more work on this,lots of stuff coming soon)

4. Tell us your favourite product from Lilys Perfumery .

Please leave a separate comment for each entry.

The winner will be selected by random.org on Sunday 30th January at 8.30pm.

With all good intentions

This year I thought I would be organised and not have the normal frantic running around on Christmas week looking for gifts for people. August came and I thought I would get started, for anyone that knows me,don’t look so shocked I am not a ditsy scat brained airhead all of the time!.
As one of my first ports of call I decided to wander over to  Grandma Polly’s Attic, for those of you not familiar with this lovely online shop that provide excellent customer service; they stock Me To You Bears, Blue Nosed Friends, TV & Disney Characters and a host of other cute and lovely gift ideas.
The things I had found where some Dora Design paperweights which were a very reasonable £7.99 each. But! Such was my indecision I ended up choosing 3.
The first one being Brutus the Bulldog, now he is lovely and not pugnacious looking at all, he is made from suedette and has a rather nice button detail on his legs, he is a nice size 4.5"which is perfect for sitting on a desk or shelf, to be honest I kept him (so much for Christmas shopping)and he sits on a shelf happily looking over my PC.

The other 2 paperweights that I purchased were Fat Cat, now she is sweet and fat just as an overweight cat should be and is made of faux leather and suedette with the same rather nice button detail on her legs, who will be very much enjoyed by the intended recipient as she is the perfect gift for that cat lover.

Last but not least comes my favourite Lavinia the Ladybird, now she is gorgeous she has the typical ladybird black head with 2 sweet brocade antennae and body which appears to be made of a velvet material, her wings are a very pretty brocade complete with the trademark black dots and when you look at her face she appears to be smiling. These lovely and very functional paperweights also have the added bonus in that they are beautifully scented with lavender and they come gift boxed (so easy to wrap when I get round to it!).

I must add that Dora designs are all very high quality and if you are looking for an original and useful gift these paperweights are perfect. To conclude my Christmas shopping is not yet complete despite my good intentions and early start,but never mind there is always next year.

This is Y

As one of our best selling fragrances, I had to try this, but first a bit of history (taking its name from YSL`s first initial) Y was launched by Yves Saint Laurent in 1964, the designer renowned for his beautiful haute couture clothing.The nose behind this is Jean Amic, This launch was the start of a beautiful fragrance story, his best known fragrances being Rive Gauche (1971) and the iconic Opium (1977).


Y is a green chypre fragrance, chypre being something that people either love, hate or associate with old ladies, this is not, it is a beautiful clean green chypre that contains Top notes of Greens, aldehydes, peach, gardenia, mirabelle and honeysuckle, heart notes of Bulgarian rose, jasmine, tuberose, ylang-ylang, orris, hyacinth, Base notes of Oakmoss, amber, patchouli, sandalwood, vetiver, civet.Y is elegant and has quiet class, without being dull or boring.



Y in my eyes Y is the shy big sister, she doesn`t want to intrude but feels she has to be there, standing quietly in the background..but every so often she likes to make her presence known, unlike her little sister Opium she would never dare enter the room before you, anyone that wears Y will understand this. It has been said that wearing Y is like having a favourite piece of clothing, something that is comforting and makes you feel nice!, which is very true


Y is not for diva or vamp days, it is not the fragrance you seduce with, but can be sexy in its own gentle way, it is a fragrance for the days that you want to smell nice and not be conscious that you are wearing perfume.


So to end Y has found a very welcome place in my ever growing perfume collection and will stay there for some time.

                                                         

Yves Saint Laurent Opium More than just a fragrance

Love it or hate it there is just something so wonderful about Opium,from it`s launch in 1977,just before the power dressing of the 80s to now, Opium remains much loved and a stable in a lot of peoples perfume collections.After Opiums launch Estee Lauder followed on the spicy fragrance trail with Cinnabar and it was suggested that the good girls wore Cinnabar and the bad girls wore Opium.Whether that is true or not everyone has their memories of this great and much talked about fragrance. Mine was at 19 and I wanted a 'grown up perfume',little did I realise is that you don`t need a heavy hand with Opium a small spray is sufficient and more often than not my perfume used to enter the room before I did!. Opium is brash and loud and makes no apology for being so,This is a spicy oriental fragrance that perfect for Autumn/Winter it has great sillage and longevity,this is a wonderful powerhouse that brings back memories of high heels,shoulder pads and all that was good about the 80`s.Iconic and classic and oh so very grown up Opium is a fragrance that I enjoy and appreciate now far more than when I first wore it.


Just to add the packaging has not changed greatly and the fragrance notes remain the same which are the following Top Notes Mandarin orange, Bergamot, Lily of the valley.Middle Notes Jasmine, Carnation, Myrrh.Base Notes Vanilla, Patchouli, Opoponaux, Amber.
From the Yves Saint Laurent Website
Discover the myth of OPIUM reinvented.
A perfume of an outrageous and evocative name, Opium is a gate open on a fantasy world, a trip to the unknown, to an extraordinary elsewhere, mysterious, full of sensations and emotions.
Back to the roots of Opium, the new aesthetic of the Eau de Parfum bottle refers to the original inrö.
It glorifies mystery, voluptuousness and modernity of the item.
FRAGRANCE
In the heart of this bottle in the form of an inrô, the opening of Mandarin, Bergamot and Lily of the valley reveals middle notes of Jasmine, Carnation and Myrrh. Then the deeper aromas of Vanilla, Amber, Sweet Myrrh and Patchouli melt on your skin leaving a trail that arouses desire.
The spicy oriental harmony comes into its own in extreme sensuality.

Fragrance Notes

Top Notes, Middle Notes, Base Notes,Sounds almost like music doesn`t it,well it is partly true as perfume is composed of different notes that all compliment and blend with each other to give you the complete blended scent or fragrance. 
Top Notes The initial spray  contains the top notes, these are the first thing that you will smell,sometimes you can be immediately put off or can think this is nice,these normally fade between 5-30 minutes after spraying.After which you are presented with the middle or heart notes which forms the main basis of the fragrance and will often define the type,these often appear 10-30 mins from spraying,following these you have the base notes which is the foundation of the fragrance.Do you, after a few hours when your fragrance seems to have disappeared get this lovely aroma?these are the base notes and depending on the fragrance strength these can last for hours.
This is a very basic explanation of fragrance notes and why it is important when trying a new fragrance to give it time to settle before making a decision on whether to buy or not.

Fragrance Layering

Fragrance layering/combining is an interesting and wonderful concept and not a new idea by any means. Fragrance layering prolongs our fragrance and lets us enjoy it for longer.
 Many people layer their bath and body products to make a fragrance/scent last longer. The best way to start is with a shower gel/bath oil or body wash, if your skin tends to be on the dry side try and use a body cream, for oilier skins a body lotion. Both of these products will help lock in moisture and leave the skin lightly scented with the fragrance. During the hotter months talc can be added and is especially good for those who perspire a lot. Finish off with your Eau de parfum or Eau de toilette.

 Fragrance combining is a different concept  and Jo Malone is the market leader in fragrance combining, every fragrance that is created by her can be worn alone or beautifully combined with another fragrance

Some people will combine their perfume to make it smell different, for example she wants to be a diva at night so wears her loud perfume and heels, Now the man on the tube, the elderly lady in the bus queue may not appreciate that loud fragrance that she loves so much, so some lavender oil is added and a new more subtle fragrance is born!.

 Layering and combining can be done with many different scents Why not try a different body lotion before you apply your favourite perfume or if you have grown tired of a fragrance, spray some on let it dry and spray another over the top and see what result you get!.

Choosing a fragrance

Wearing the right perfume is just as important as wearing a colour that suits you!,many people will just squirt on a scent just because they think it smells nice from the bottle or on the sample paper that you find on many fragrance counters,


When making this choice you need to give the notes time to develop,this can be upto an hour.The initial spray which contains the top notes is the first thing that you will smell,sometimes you can be immediately put off or can think this is nice,these normally fade between 5-30 minutes after spraying and you are then presented with the middle or heart note which forms the main basis of the fragrance and will often define the type,these often appear 10-30 mins from spraying,following these you have the base notes which is the foundation of the fragrance,Do you, after a few hours when your fragrance seems to have disappeared get this lovely aroma?these are the base notes and depending on the fragrance strength these can last for hours.

We can often be swayed by the glossy advert in magazine or the wonderful display at the fragrance counter or the great special offer with ££s off the RRP and end up with an expensive mistake.

When seeking out a new fragrance get into the habit of having a spray of a tester fragrance,dont spray on the sample card spray it on your wrists, leave it a while and see what you think.

Mothers Day 2010

Mothering Sunday is traditionally a time when children honour and give thanks their mothers,in the UK it always falls on the fourth Sunday in lent, this year that will be Sunday 14th March.
Mothers day traditions were first traced from the middle ages when children of a very young age would leave home to work in neighbouring villages for the noblefolk and be allowed to return home during lent before the busy time of Easter,very often their employers would give them a gift of Simnel Cake to take with them, due to the expense of transport the children would walk and along the way gather wild flowers as a gift for  their mothers.The children would only return home for the weekend and attend church with their families on the Sunday,any gifts would be presented to their mothers, lent fasting  put aside for the day and feasts had.This was the poor peoples Easter Celebration which later became known as Mothering Sunday.
In modern times not much has changed,except that instead of wild flowers and simnel cake,gifts of fresh flowers,gift baskets perfume,chocolates and other special goodies are given,cards are also made or purchased.


When choosing a Mothers Day gift it need not be extravagant or huge,sometimes just being extra thoughtful or giving time can be enough,don`t forget that mums like to be spoilt,why not cook lunch,or breakfast in bed?.


To Mum`s everywhere Happy Mother`s Day!

Lilys Perfumery

Hello everyone

This blog is to keep you up to date on the latest news at Lily's Perfumery, it's also here to give reviews on the products we add to the website in more detail and all our latest news. 

This blog is also for you to voice your opinion on fragrances/perfumes you may want/like, and even add your own reviews.

We would also love to hear your beauty tips and make up ideas

The best reviews/tips will earn their writer a discount voucher to use on our website